


Our Masquerade - Valentine’s Day Sanvers Reunion

by LaurysPrince



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/F, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Sanvers - Freeform, Sanvers Secret Valentines 2019, Sanvers is endgame, smut in chapter 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 07:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17783561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaurysPrince/pseuds/LaurysPrince
Summary: A Valentine’s Day Sanvers Reunion :National City’s Mayor organized a Masquerade for Valentine’s Day, with a Secret Valentine’s Day Game for those looking for love. Alex is not looking for love. Maggie is not looking for love either. But both will still play the game, and realize there is no need to look for love when love comes to you.This fanfiction is for Ross, @/supahgays on Twitter, who was my match for the Sanvers Secret Valentine’s Day. I truly hope you enjoy it all and remember Sanvers is Endgame :)





	1. Cordially Invited

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Supahgays (Ross)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Supahgays+%28Ross%29).



 

 

 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

**You are cordially invited to the**

**_Masquerade Ball_ **

**of**

**National City**

**organized by**

**_Mayor William Barnett_ **

**on Thursday, February 14 th**

**from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.**

**at NC Herman Memorial Residency,**

**on Blue Chapel Roadway,**

**National City, California**

**(Find RSVP information inside)**

**Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.**

**Featuring entertainment by BROODS.**

 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

**Please find the rules of dress and etiquette!**

**All participants must be masked and in disguise.**

**You may choose any mask or your liking, as long as it does not cover your whole face.**

**_The mouth should be visible._ ** **_No Bauta, Volto, or Arlecchino masks._ **

**_The eyes must be covered._ **

**_Masks on sticks are allowed._ **

**You may choose any disguise that feats between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries.**

**_Cross dressing is permitted._ **

**_No nudity or poor coverage of the skin is allowed._ **

**Every rule goes for all genders!**

**To participate to the 'Valentine's Secret Match' game of the night, go to the website indicated in the back of the card.**

 

 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 

 

 

 

“Fantastic.” Alex just sighs after looking at the invitation again.

 

Here she was, thinking she could go through 2019 without having to think about spending Valentine’s day surrounded by happy couples. Clearly the Universe had other plans.

But for the occasion, Mayor William Barnett had ambitiously organized a massive Masquerade party, inviting most of his friends, but also people working for the city and its people : law enforcement officers, firefighters, doctors and professors, as well as insurance managers, bankers, city hall employees… and other business workers in the shadows, such as the DEO agents.

The 550 requested guests received their invitation on the 24th of December 2018 in their mailbox, after a a post office employee was specifically chosen for this task in the morning.

Of course there was a dress-code and certain rules, but the real surprise was the Secret Valentine’s Match : each person who registered for the game would give some basic information about themselves (age, gender, hair color, height, likes and dislikes…) and file a similar sheet to know what they expect to find in a potential partner.

After the registrations deadline, an algorithm would find the best match for each person. And a week before the 14th, everyone participating to the Secret Valentine’s Match received a brooch in fabric shaped as a number in either gold or silver. One person would receive a number in a silver pin, their match would receive the same number in gold. For those playing the game, they’d have to find their match in the ballroom before the end of the party.

 

 

So yeah. Maybe Alex really wanted to throw Supergirl out of the window for fun. Especially when she received a golden pin number in the mail after Kara sneakily registered her for this stupid Secret Valentine’s Matching game.

 

 

 


	2. Behind Your Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Masquerade Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some links to make it more real :
> 
> Costume ideas links :  
> \- Maggie’s mask :  
> https://media.justposhmasks.com/catalog/product/cache/1/image/546x/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/b/l/blue_masquerade_masks_for_kids_bampic03s_1_1.jpg   
> \- Maggie’s shrine vest :  
> https://www.amazon.com/Shrine-Aristocrat-Steampunk-Victorian-Tapestry/dp/B01EZAN0M0/ref=lp_9127591011_1_6?srs=9127591011&ie=UTF8&qid=1548433924&sr=8-6  
> \- Maggie’s hair :  
> https://i2.wp.com/therighthairstyles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/1-low-updo-with-bangs.jpg?w=500&ssl=1   
> \- Alex’s mask :  
> https://www.italymask.co.nz/ic/2148717787/IMG_3065-705.jpg   
> \- Alex’s dress (gold instead of the silver) :  
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FX2683C/ref=twister_B01C8HP16K   
> \- Ross’ mask :  
> https://www.ilovemasks.com/new-arrivals/swan-venetian-lace-flower-feather-women-mask-black-silver/  
> \- Ross’ suit :  
> https://www.comercialmoyano.com/4310-thickbox_default/italienne-costume-de-mariage-noir-argent.jpg 
> 
>  
> 
> Important song links :  
> \- Link to “Eugen Doga – Gramafon” :  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p0pe-1_xUk   
> \- Link to “Broods – Heartlines (Acoustic) :  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nhuzg5eX2o

 

 

 

 

** FEBRUARY 14, 2019. **

** ROSS’ APARTMENT : **

 

 

“Ross!” Maggie called again while trying on the second mask she had in option. “Hurry up! I gotta change too!”

 

“I’m coming, chill out!” her friend answered. “It’s not like the Captain is gonna be on time…” she groans because their boss wasn’t the best example of discipline since he moved from the field to his comfy office.

 

“But if we show up early, we can talk with the Mayor and hope for a little gift at the precinct.” Maggie grins. “Like chocolates, some wine…”

 

“New pants that don’t scratch through your underwear…” Ross answered, making Maggie laugh warmly.

 

After a few more seconds spent in the bathroom, Ross, Maggie’s friend and colleague from the Science Division, came out fully dressed for the Masquerade. She was wearing a Venetian swan mask. One half was black with silver arabesques, the other half was silver with black arabesques. And for the costume, she went with a baroque suit. Silver patterns up and down the black tailcoat, a vest with flower patterns, a jabot held with a nice brooch, and black satin trousers. The formal lace-up shoes were also black, with silver reflections.

 

“Oh nice…!” Maggie breathes out in a smile when she first sees her wearing her costume entirely.

 

“I told you. Better without the feathers.” Ross insisted, because the mask originally had those big black feathers attached, with a fake butterfly, and it was just too much. So she just took them off to have just the mask alone without any extravagant ornaments.

 

“And you were right.” Maggie smiled, then fixing Ross’s lapels. “But I! was right about how it would go well with your suit.”

 

“Fine, truce, smart-ass.” Ross grins at her friend, turning around to look at herself in the mirror. “I just really hope I didn’t pull this off for nothing. Is my hair okay?”

 

“I wouldn’t worry about that...” Maggie grins back, low-key mentioning Ross’ girlfriend who should be at the party too, just that she might not be right on time because of her job. “Yeah it looks good.” she assured, though fixing the haircut with her fingers a little. “Maybe just… some more on the front. Make it bolder that it already is…”

 

“Okay, I’ll try to fix that. Now, your turn.” Ross said, almost pushing Maggie toward the bathroom so she would change. “And let me pin your number before you rip out your suit!”

 

“Not fair, it happened once!”

 

 

 

 

** ALEX DANVERS’ APARTMENT : **

 

 

Alex looks at the number she received just a week ago. The one that would be matching someone else’s silver number at the ball and apparently determine how miserable her love life is.

She sigh, tries different emplacement, and then gets out of the bathroom to face Kara, who seemed way to excited.

 

“Why did you set me up to this Secret Valentine Matching game again?”

 

“Because it’ll be fun!” Kara answers jumping in her personal space to take the pin. “You’re going to meet a woman who fits your criteria, and you’ll have a good time on Valentine’s Day at a fancy and massive Masquerade Ball…!”

 

“Yeah while you fly around and smile to get payed again… Ouch!”

 

“Oh sorry, did I just pin this too hard with my paycheck?” Kara asked rhetorically. “Plus, tonight is charity attendance. I’m getting payed with love!” she smiles so bright Alex frowns.

 

“Ew… Gross. And how do you even know what my criteria are?” Alex asked her, letting her sister find a way to clip the number on her dress.

 

“Well they didn’t ask very deep questions, just the basics. Smaller than you, brunette, active, job with responsibilities, but I didn’t say you had specific diet expectations since you can’t really cook...”

 

“Fantastic. I hope I end up with Vasquez, or Lucy, so I can just get drunk on the roof top with one. Or both!” she proposed sarcastically, hearing her sister groan her annoyance away while she fixes her dress. “Oh! I could even end up with Lena for all I know. That’d be a very fun night, talking about very sexy science stuff.” she kept going, earning a look from Kara that she knew was the one she’d get when Alex was starting to bother her. “But since you said smaller, I can’t even have my chance getting Nia, and we could have slept the day away, literally. She would have been my true savior.”

 

“Alex…!” Kara shushes her with a giggle. “Not fair to Nia, you know she doesn’t control her naps.”

 

“Yeah I know… But it was a funny joke.” Alex smiles like a child, making Kara laugh too. “Seriously, I’m nervous…!”

 

“Don’t be! Just go there and have fun!”

 

“What if I don’t have fun?” Alex asked. “What if I don’t enjoy her company and want to run away?”

 

“Then you beep me, and I’ll fly you out.” Kara smiles gently at her sister when she’s done pinning the brooch to her dress. “Don’t worry so much, I’m sure I won’t even hear about you ‘til sunrise.” She then grins, handing Alex a mask to complete the outfit.

 

 

 

 

** NC HERMAN MEMORIAL RESIDENCY - 7:20 p.m.: **

 

 

The roadway to the Herman Memorial Residency led to the Blue Chapel. It was called the “Little Blue” because the ceiling had been painted on by some volunteered artists. Everything was on a blue background, like in the Sistine Chapel.

Herman Memorial Residency was built to honor the memory of Father Herman, who opened his door to thousands of citizens during the Daxamite invasion and succumbed to his injuries just few minutes before the city was won back. Supergirl helped the construction of the site and has her symbol engraved in a silver plate next to the front door, under the one dedicated to Father Herman.

 

When Maggie and Ross arrived at the Residency, their driver left them close to the entry, a great front gate where some men in valet costumes were checking the invitations and wishing everyone a nice night. Maggie and Ross then walked through the front yard, following the pavements and looking around, trees enlightened with twinkling lights and bushes perfectly cut in heart shapes and one in the middle was a cupid.

The great fiberglass double door was opened, leading inside of the great mansion. The party was happening on the other side of the residency, so they had to go up the split staircase in the hall in order to go upstairs. And they walked the whole hallway on the left, passed some other closed doors, and then arrived where the house was linked to its great room, usually used for receptions.

This great staircase that linked the first floor to the ballroom was covered in a red carpet, and was large enough for five people to walk side by side. The ballroom was huge. It was welcome a little more than 500 people, and still had enough room to easy walk around. First was a great empty space, set here strategically to be the dancefloor, probably were there would be some kind of activity like learning the waltz dance, and then were the sets of tables and the buffet next to the bar in the back.

There were massive chandeliers hanging from the roof with hearts hanging by long strings attached to them. The giant red curtains on the windows covering the sides of the room were opened and carefully attached, and the backyard seemed to be accessible if anyone needed some air. As for the decorations, the color theme was gold and red. There were some fake but realistic candles in elegant gold candelabras, masks of all kinds on the walls, and drapes of silk sprinkled in gold glitter covering the furniture.

If anything, it looked like the ballroom in Anastasia, but with the Valentine’s Day decoration. And even if the party would mainly be spent down there, there were also a great indoor balcony ringing the ballroom. The band was even settled on the other side of the balcony from where Maggie and Ross were standing.

 

“This is completely insane.” Ross said with a smiled glued on her face. “I mean my taxes are probably in there somewhere but- I’m not even mad. I’m happy to be a cheesy heart-shaped helium balloon.”

 

Maggie didn’t answer, because she was just as choked as Ross. They simply decided to walk down the stairs and join the center of the Masquerade ball, where many people were already enjoying their night : dancing, talking, walking around, drinking, eating… the only thing everyone had in common were the respect of the rules and the astonishment in their smiles and voices. Some had numbers pinned on their costumes, and few didn’t.

 

“And I thought I’d belong with the minority again tonight…” Maggie simply said, seeing a silver 208 on a man’s top hat.

 

“Looks like it’s your day off.” Ross giggled, spotting a gold 340 walking pass them with a gold 49. “It’s like the third of tonight’s population is looking for their match… Oh, silver 340 coming your way. Go get it…” she said to the woman with the gold 340 who definitely couldn’t hear her, a little distracted but soon catching up with Maggie and staying by her side.

 

“I also thought we’d look ridiculous in those costumes but apparently we’re the basic ones…” Maggie said, encouraging Ross to look behind her to spot a group of women dressed in domino dresses with bold and huge wigs, some men also had those 18th century white wigs with those big curls on the side.

 

“Some people take things way to seriously.” Ross grins. “But hey, you look hotter than those guys! Pretty sure some unmatching numbers could still try to woo you if I leave you alone for two minutes…!” she said with a terrible flirtatious face that made Maggie laugh.

 

“Woo me, waw, remind me to hand-kiss the ladies before I flatter them.” Maggie said in an aristocratic tone, playing along and bowing to her friend as she kisses her hand.

 

“You’re a terrible goof, my God…!” Ross could only say while she giggles with her, taking Maggie by her arm so they’d start walking around together, simply talking and observing. “Come on, let’s find the buffet already.”

 

One thing was sure, Ross was right. Maggie was being looked at, and she liked playing eye contact with pretty much any woman for the fun of it.

Maggie chose to wear a Victorian costume. A black tailcoat with a white ample shirt and a blue shrine vest with silver arabesques. Ross did her hair surprisingly well. A low bun with vintage curls, leaving some locks waving down the side of her face. For the mask, she got a Columbina white with the top edge cut irregularly. There were three baby blue drops in the middle top around a fake diamond, same blue lines around the holes of her eyes painting a great eyeliner and lashes, and the mask was decorated with white and glitter arabesques.

It was a rather simple mask compared to the other one she could see around the ballroom.

Some people were wearing phantom masks, those inspired by the Phantom of the Opera, with both eyebrows covered but one side, from the eye to the cheek, wasn’t covered by the mask. Others were wearing Pantalone masks, some chose animal-like masks, mostly Gatto masks… But most were wearing Columbina masks. They were popular and easier to wear, more comfortable. Some of the masks would come with feathers on the side or as a crown, with flowers or butterflies, some held with sticks or with a ribbon… Some decided to wear laser cut masks, some were medieval style, Steampunk was also a thing, some had some Greek or Roman ornaments like Pegasus, Suns, Sphinx and other creatures on top of their masks…

 

On the buffet were displayed many fancy finger foods, adapted to everyone’s diet. The stuffed mushrooms were quick to become Maggie’s favorite, but there were also cucumber sticks filled with cream, toasts with salmon or foie gras, crackers for any dips to go with, five different types of caviar, surimi, maki of salmon rolled in thin layers of avocado, mozzarella sticks, cherry tomatoes, various stewers with or without meat, with or without cheese, and plenty of other pieces of gluttony.

 

“Grab me some of those sticks.” Ross asked, her mouth still full of cherry tomatoes. “And then we go find your soulmate.”

 

Maggie shoves another cherry in Ross’ mouth to shut her smugness away, but she only earned another giggle from her friend. She picks two cups of champagne and then they start walking around again.

 

“Remember you’re the one who set me up to this game.” Maggie reminded her friend, looking around to see who was wearing other numbers. “I better not regret trusting your stubbornness in setting me up like a desperate single lesbian.”

 

“And you’re welcome in advance.” Ross smiles. “I know you’re going to have fun, I know you, I’m sure you’ll have a matching match.”

 

“What about your girl?” Maggie asked, as to try and change the subject while treating herself with some more of this amazing champagne.

 

“She’ll be arriving at the airport in an hour. For now you’re stuck with me trying to find the love of your night.” she said looking around as they keep walking in the ballroom. “Oh, and I think I found the Pokemon…! Gold number 9, 10 o’clock.” Ross said smugly to Maggie, stopping them both to settle here like everything was fine and not suspicious. “Way to go girl…! Looks just like your type…”

 

Maggie spots the woman in question who wasn’t exactly facing her. A tall brunette with a side-cut, hair elegantly waved down the side of her face. Skin looking soft and gentle, but seeing the lines of muscles hiding under it… Oh yes, this was really Maggie’s type.

 

“Waw…” Ross comments ungracefully, adjusting the mask on her nose, seeing Maggie clearly checking out this woman. “Make sure she doesn’t catch you looking at her like that, Sawyer, you might get slapped in the face…”

 

The woman was in a beautiful red mermaid dress, starting close to the body, but not too tight and losing-up from the waist a little, finishing in a trail. The bust was a red see-through decorated of flower embroidery in gold lace that dropped down her waist. The same decorations were crowned at the end of the dress. Her mask was a Columbina held by a red ribbon with an irregular upper edge and cut off top corners. It was vin red with gold arabesques, and red glitter patterns around the holes of her eyes.

And when the woman was patted on the shoulder by someone, she revealed to have beautiful hazel eyes, as well as a beautiful surprised voice.

And Maggie stops right there, when she hears the laugh of her masked Valentine as she responds to this man’s hug that she seemed to know well.

This had to be a joke. Or a very big mistake.

Because she knew the second this woman looked at her, she too felt this weight press around her heart.

 

“Shit.” Maggie immediately let out of her throat, turning around and facing Ross to hide both her face and her number to this woman.

 

“What?” Ross giggled, thinking the woman’s beauty just intimidated her friend. “She’s too challeng-… Oh my God that’s awkward.” Ross breathes out in a painful whisper when she realizes who the woman was, quickly losing all this smugness and feeling her own ears tingling.

 

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Maggie whispered again. “Ross! Help me!”

 

“Help you?” Ross said again almost offended. “Let me catch my breath maybe? I’m just as choked as you are!”

 

“What do I do?” Maggie asks alerted, fearing her heart might shut down any second.

 

“What do you mean ‘what do I do’? You can’t just run away…!”

 

“But what if I could?” Maggie suggested, earning her friend to slap her arm.

 

“Like hell you will! Just- do exactly what you said you’d do. Play along!”

 

“Play along?” Maggie repeats in a whispered yell. “That’s my ex-fiancée we’re talking about!” and she slapped Ross’ arm out of panic. “You Secret-matched me with Alex!”

 

“I’m sorry!” she tried to beg, hoping Maggie wouldn’t hit her face. “But hey, that’s why you have to play along…!” she insisted, seeing Maggie sigh now. “Because what if she kinda feels like going for it, and you run away missing some destined second chance?”

 

Maggie just looked at her more shocked that anything else.

 

“Are you- are you crazy?!”

 

“Look! She’s here with the gold number matching yours…!” Ross finally took the lead, still whispering. “First, that means she’s single. Which is a freaking miracle if you ask me…”

 

“Oh my God, seriously…?” Maggie groans because that unnecessary remark wasn’t helping at all.

 

“Second! There are like 500 guests playing this game here. You could have matched with like… more than 250 other women! Unless only the two of you asked for a female match, in which case you just got screwed…” she thought for a second.

 

“Ross!”

 

“But I’m sure it’s not the latest!” Ross quickly corrected before Maggie throws her in outer space. “And that means the Universe is rooting for you!” she finishes, very hopeful.

 

Because Ross had always been rooting for Maggie and Alex, even when Maggie told her about the kids issues. She just felt like their connection was stronger and deserved more work around any kind of important life decision...

But then looking over Maggie’s shoulder she saw Alex, Alex who doesn’t know her Silver Number match is Maggie, approaching them with a curious smile. And here Ross felt her blood rush in a cold flow and her whole face turns into a ghost.

 

“She’s coming this way, isn’t she?” Maggie understands, pretty annoyed by her friend’s sudden loose of control.

 

 

Alex was 100% certain that this woman was Maggie. Only one look at her was enough to identify her among thousands of other silhouettes. Maggie was unique, and she knew her figure like she knew her own. But not only was she sure she’d seen her, she knew Maggie saw her, and even had already identified her for sure. Or why turning around?

 

“Excuse-me.” Alex breathes out in a smile to Agent Craig who was here with his wife.

 

A year and three months. That’s how long ago she remembers seeing Maggie for the last time. Since then she’d felt absolutely lost and unable to connect with anyone else, not the way she used to feel with Maggie. And seeing her felt like grumbling within herself, submerged by the memories that had been put to sleep, missing a stimulation from a simple look, like the one she just had for half a second.

 

“Maggie?”

 

Maggie sigh, but not out of annoyance. She breathed out pieces of her broken heart and feelings frozen in time. Can she pretend again? Of course she can. She has to. She doesn’t really have a choice here either.

Maggie put on a façade, a smile Ross hates to see.

 

“Alex?” Maggie gently smiles, pretending like the previous conversation with Ross never occurred.

 

“You’re here…” Alex realizes, now that Maggie was really facing her, looking at her.

 

“So are you.” Maggie answers, forcing an awkward smile that had Ross frown for a micro second. “You remember Ross?” she asked her, presenting her friend.

 

“Of course, from the Division.” Alex smiled, giving Ross a polite handshake. “Nice to see you again.”

 

“Pleasure is for me.” Ross said gently, until her phone started to ring this specific music she chose for her girlfriend. “Oh, sorry.” She says, showing her screen to Maggie. “I gotta pick this.”

 

“I told you she’d get lost.” Maggie grins, knowing damn well Ross’s girl was terrible at orienting herself in airports.

 

“I’m sorry.” She said, this time more meaningful to Maggie, a sadness and a feeling of letting her friend down filling her eyes.

 

Maggie this time gave her a warm smile, and nods as she strokes Ross’s arm.

 

“Go.” She just told her.

 

And Ross didn’t answer anything to this. She could feel Maggie already forgiving her for having to leave for this emergency, even though it meant leaving her alone with Alex. So she just smiled again, gave Maggie a quick kiss on the cheek and then hurried her way out of the ballroom by the staircase.

And this left Alex and Maggie standing here so close, yet with more than a year of life separating them. The tension was here. But so where the matching number 9 on their pins.

 

“I haven’t seen you around for a while.” Alex said first. “More than a year, actually. Before you reached out to me for your passport.” She admitted remembering again, hanging her head as to hide herself.

 

“Yeah, thanks again, by the way… I’ve been, hum, travelling for all that time.” Maggie answered, looking at her drink and focusing on the bubbles in the champagne. “I came back like a month ago. Crashed back at Ross’ apartment again.” She said in a timid voice.

 

The memories came back with the feelings. When she had called Ross that day, to ask if she could crash at her place. Because “ _things are complicated with Alex right now_ ” and “ _I’ll explain to you_ ”. And Ross didn’t ask for any details, it was just “ _Of course, Maggs_ ” and “ _Just call me when you need me to come and pick you up_ ”. And Maggie really had been the strongest she’d even been when she went through Alex’s door for the last time. Then she saw Ross had been waiting for her just in the corner of the hallway, which only gave her the last bit of strength to not crumble right here, and simply look at Alex one more time, just to tell her – and she believed it – that she would be a great mom. And then Maggie closed the door, and the silence walked her away from Alex and toward Ross, who then walked her to the car and drove her to her apartment. And only there did Maggie allowed herself to break down. Away from Alex, who didn’t need to see her like this.

This night, National City had lost its magic. So just few days later, Maggie decided she’d go visit her Aunt, and later on decided to just leave and never truly stay anywhere just yet.

 

Maggie realized she’d been quiet for just too many three seconds. The feelings that had blocked her senses faded away for the atmosphere of the ballroom to fill them again. She could see the awkwardness and worry in Alex’s eyes, so she had to simply keep on talking.

 

“I received the invitation for the Masquerade through Ross because my name is still on her mailbox. And I’m still one of the Division’s favorite apparently. It’s just that I’ve been working in another field of investigation for the past year...”

 

“You were transferred?”

 

“Yeah. Liaison Detective.” Maggie smiled briefly, because she did like that job. “That’s why I travelled a lot this past year. My Captain gave me the opportunity to work abroad. I’m working on cases that involve Alien American citizens outside of our borders. Victims or Suspects. I work with the local authorities, and when the case is closed, I fly somewhere else.”

 

“Waw… I thought you just treated yourself with a really long vacation.” Alex grins, thinking about it now sounded silly.

 

“You and I both know I wouldn’t spend more than three months without working.” Maggie agreed to remind them both.

 

And just like that they shared a laugh. A shy and light, subtle laugh, but it was already so much more than the months of silence and absence. Maggie shyly and quietly proposed Alex to walk alongside her, so they both just started to walk, both slowly realizing just how good it felt but hiding it to the other, trying to look away but not for long, focusing on the walk until they get to the buffet.

 

“What about you, Agent Danvers?” Maggie asked, giving Alex one of the salmon-avocado maki and taking a cucumber stick for herself. “Did you have time for vacation?”

 

“Actually, no. But I had time for a promotion too.” Alex answered with a satisfied grin when she sees Maggie’s questioning look. “It’s Director Danvers now.”

 

Maggie’s eyes widen and she almost chokes on her food. Alex giggles a little and hands her a napkin.

 

“Director? No way?!” Maggie says with those illuminated eyes piercing through Alex’s who just nods her that it wasn’t a prank. “That’s amazing, oh my God! Congrats!”

 

“Yeah thanks.” Alex blushed, knowing that Maggie was genuinely happy for her, and she knew why.

 

“I always told you you’d make a great Director.” Maggie smiles again.

 

Ad she was right. Alex never really saw herself as the Director, because she liked working with J’onn, and it was reassuring to have him looking after her and Kara. But Maggie still always believed she’d become Director at some point, and because J’onn was the one who taught her everything, she’d make a great one.

 

“Yeah.” Alex smiles softly, remembering those moments like a warm mist in her mind. “Yeah you did.”

 

And there settles another silence, where thoughts couldn’t be spoken. Only eyes communicating both sadness but also nesting a fragile gladness.

Alex looks at her maki for a second, thinking.

 

“Salmon and avocado, uh?” She simply said. “That’s weirdly good…”

 

And the look she gave Maggie said everything. Maggie never forgot what Alex liked and disliked. She also knew Alex didn’t really like avocado unless it was accompanied with another food, such as salmon, which she really likes.

 

“ _Is this thing on?_ ” echoed in the room, followed by a few taps on the mic. “ _I think it is._ ”

 

Alex and Maggie both looked around and spotted the Mayor on the balcony were the music band was. He was going full Masquerade royalty with a great faux fur cape and a mask decorated with jewels on top, like a crown.

 

“And I thought I did too much…” Maggie comments, making Alex laugh.

 

“ _Gentle people of National City, welcome to this year’s Valentine’s day’s great Masquerade Ball!_ ” he said with a wide smile, getting a wave of applause. “ _I hope everybody is having fun, especially those looking for love tonight…_ ” he then grins, which was followed by some playful whistles. “ _Do not worry for those who have not found their mysterious pair, the night is long enough for you to search._ ”

 

Alex and Maggie both felt a little uneasy, furtively looking at the other to see if she was also looking, and then looking down or away because yes, they were both looking. But there was also a subtle smile showing by the corner of their lips. It was awkward, and it felt funny too, like two shy teenagers who didn’t know how to act around each other.

 

“ _I see that some people have found the buffet._ ” The Mayor smiles. “ _Help yourselves, we have enough to feed everyone twice. Also I hope that you are all drinking responsibly, and let me remind you that all the drivers in the city know how to find this place, so do not take the wheel unless you are completely sober, my friends._ ” he thoughtfully reminded everyone with a warm gaze scanning the ballroom. “ _I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you for your service to this city and its citizens. Nurses, Officers, Firefighters, everyone who is protecting this city from the harm, and those who are ensuring us all a comfortable living._ ” He finishes, applauding alongside the guests.

“ _Now, I’d like to announce the opening of our first activity : the classic Waltz._ ”

 

“Of course he did…” Alex grins, desperate because it was a cliché but it was adorable still, and in theme.

 

Everyone looked at the opened space of the ballroom, seeing three couples of professional dancers entering all costumed and ready.

 

“ _For everyone who would like to have some old-fashioned fun, three lovely couples are willing to spend their own Valentine’s day teaching you how to dance along the most popular Waltz. Of course, if you prefer to eat and drink while watching the show, you may take a seat on the sides._ ” He adds making people laugh. “ _In any case, I wish all of you an excellent Masquerade._ ”

 

And after some more applauds, the Mayor was about to leave his mic, but remember the most important part of his speech, so he took it back quickly.

 

“ _I almost forgot! I am not the only one who wanted to thank you tonight._ ”

 

The mayor simply shows his arm toward the staircase, where Supergirl made her entry with her suit and her own mask. Everyone in the room was excited to see her, it felt like a special treatment, so they gave more applause while the superhero was just smiling and giggling.

 

“Hi everyone!” she just shouts very happily.

 

“ _Supergirl is passing by, and she will take some time to show her appreciation to all of you. She too needed some comforting help from us sometime_.”

 

The Mayor finishes for good and leaves the mic to the band, who will also be in control of the playlist set for the Waltz. The singer was actually the one who would be at the computer. The others were just having some fun with the guests and expecting Supergirl to fly up there to them too. The first Waltz for the guest to learn the dance was The Blue Danube, by Johann Strauss II, and Alex did not forget to say it to Maggie.

 

“Okay, I’m the one who introduced you to classical music, Danvers!” she reminded, and Alex just started laughing because she knew very well it was Maggie who made her listen to this music the first time. “But good to see you still remember.”

 

“I think my mind was bleached after those six hours of dancing class for your colleague’s wedding.”

 

“Oh so you’re saying we could still crush it on the dancefloor right now.” Maggie challenged.

 

“No! Absolutely not, We’re not doing this again, plus, I don’t want to risk breaking your toes… again!”

 

“Okay, fine.” Maggie said, finishing her champagne. “I know you’ll change your mind later anyway because you love challenges.” Alex just sigh, and they both look back at Kara flying around and being the real-life social butterfly she is, wearing a mask just in theme for fun. “The mask is a bit like glasses, right?” Maggie states to Alex. “So… why is everybody applauding Kara?” she teased, getting elbowed by Alex who laughed with her.

 

“You will never stop with those jokes, uh?” Alex asks, still smiling from the laugh.

 

“Never, it’s too delicious.”

 

“Unbelievable… Go fill our drinks instead of giggling around.” Alex tells her with a smile, because she was amused anyway.

 

“Oh, wait for her to see my face, that’s gonna be fantastic.” Maggie says already giggling again, leaving with the drinks to refill them at the bar quickly.

 

 

Once at the bar, Maggie gave the glasses to one of the barmen here and checked her phone. She had four texts from Ross :

 

>             [7:45] **Ross:** _I’m so sorry omg! Are you okay? Do you need an emergency murder case?!_
> 
>             [8:02] **Ross:** _I’m in traffic I hate people._
> 
>             [8:02] **Ross:** _My gf is gonna fly back to New York before I can get to the airport. Also you didn’t text me back, rude, are you mad?_
> 
>             [8:03] **Ross:** _am I gonna get shot if I set foot in the ballroom?_

 

Maggie just looked at her phone laughing. Ross was the only person she actually liked texting, because every moment of her life felt like a script from dramatic Hollywood movie. So she just texted her back, and immediately got an answer.

 

>             [8:27] **Maggie:** _Sorry I just checked my phone. I’m fine, nothing worth a planted murder on Valentine’s or shooting you, you’ve honestly done worse before lol. Are you still stuck in traffic?_
> 
>             [8:27] **Ross:** _Yes, and some dude is getting out of his car to go pee on the side of the road, aka, next to my car. Get me out of here_
> 
>             [8:28] **Maggie:** _I can send you Supergirl if you want, she’s kissing some baby heads here._
> 
>             [8:28] **Ross:** _Supergirl is at the ball are you KIDDING ME_
> 
>             [8:28] **Maggie:** _Wish I was. How far are you from the airport? I’m gonna have to go back I’m just filling the drinks._
> 
>             [8:29] **Ross:** _Something like 30 minutes, maybe more. Save me some cucumber sticks, kill people if you have to. Also, if you want to run away, I can still find a sudden murder case, like an ugly hairless man who was accidentally shot in the face while he was peeing on the side of the road._

 

Maggie just laughed out loud and quickly sent a reply to wish good luck to Ross before going back to waiting for her drinks.

 

 

Kara was just flying around now, stopping sometimes to give a light handshake here and there, thanking people, also saying she’ll take her time to talk with the firefighters in a few minutes. Then she decided to go to Alex who was a little isolated compared to the others, like she was a random guest to salute and thank too.

 

“Director Danvers.” She played terribly.

 

“Supergirl, what a surprise.” Alex smugly said, accepting Kara’s ridiculous handshake. “It’s great to see you outside of work.”

 

“Your dress looks lovely, it’s different from the gear!” she said before coming closer. “So, did you find your match…?” Kara whispered, trying to hide her excitement as she made sure only Alex could see her face.

 

“Supergirl…!” Maggie greets, coming back with two glasses of champagne, a glass of water, and a very obvious smug smile. “It’s been a while… What’s up?” she asked casually, standing next to Alex again, entering the ‘Kara Danvers’ space.

 

Kara almost fell from her levitation when she realized who that was, and she even decided it would be reasonable to land now.

 

“Maggie?!” she almost yells but gets shush by Alex for the discretion. “I mean! Detective Sawyer!” she corrects as if everyone around would uncover the deep secret from this little mistake. “Waw…!” she breathes out, trying to act again. “Now that’s a surprise…!”

 

Maggie puffs a laugh at the terrible acting skills. She hands Alex one of the two drinks she had refilled and then looks back at Kara, giving her just a few seconds to look at the silver number 9 pinned to her suit. And then she grins again when she saw Kara breaking character.

 

“Enjoying the night?” Maggie asked her, drinking a bit of champagne.

 

“Yes. Very much. Thank you.” Kara answered, looking back and forth between her and Alex, completely forgetting how to move or blink.

 

“Here.” Maggie offers to Supergirl when she gives her some water. “You look like you need it.”

 

“Thank you- Detective.” She said already the nose in the glass and drinking it all in one go. “Are those-”

 

“Mozzarella Sticks? Yeah. Help yourself.” Alex handed a bowl of those to her.

 

“Supergirl likes Mozzarella Sticks?” a man on the right asked with a stupid impressed smile.

 

“She’s more human-like than you think.” Maggie tells him, getting elbowed by Alex again.

 

“Do you need me to fly you out?!” Kara quickly whispered to Alex while Maggie was talking with this man.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“Well I’m not…!”

 

“Kara? This isn’t about you, remember?” Alex said like she said it a million times before, when Kara felt terrible as if she was in Alex’s position.

 

“You guys know I’m here, right?” Maggie reminded them a bit bored.

 

The Mayor called Supergirl’s name from another corner of the room, showing a group of L-Corp representants that she’d been in touch with several times.

 

“Here’s your escape.” Maggie told her with a smile.

 

“Right hum-” Kara looked over at Alex. “I’ll see you later?”

 

“Sure.” Alex smiled simply, encouraging Kara to go already.

 

“Maggie?”

 

“Not planning on going anywhere yet.” Maggie also smiled.

 

“Sorry I’m being weird…” Kara cringed sadly. “I didn’t mean to…”

 

“It’s okay.” The brunette excused softly. “Good to see you learned to go by the door now.”

 

“Hey! I learn my lessons, thank you very much!” Kara retorted faking an offense. “You just weren’t around to see it!”

 

“Oh so that’s why I didn’t see so many construction sites on public propriety…?” Maggie played back, faking an illumination.

 

“Exactly! And I helped building several walls that I didn’t even go through.” Kara started to brag, making Maggie laugh as they keep talking.

 

Alex forgot how Maggie and Kara used to be in a cold war regarding Supergirl’s work. But other than that, the two of them actually got along very well, and Maggie found in Kara the little sister she never had. And when Kara didn’t know how to talk to Alex about something, she found the ease to go to Maggie, and Maggie would welcome her and help her through anything, sharing her own vision or how she experienced certain things differently, which would help Kara understand an issue with more dimensions.

And seeing them interact about Supergirl without arguing, but laughing and almost bonding thanks to it, was a true pleasure to Alex.

 

“Well, I should get going.” Kara said, still smiling. “It’s- nice seeing you’re still one of the most sarcastic persons I know.” She said to Maggie before turning to Alex. “I’ll see you later, Director Danvers.”

 

And she flew away to join the Mayor and his friends, play friendly and optimistic with businessmen. Alex turned around quickly to face Maggie again, clicking her heels on the floor. She only met Maggie’s grinning face in return.

 

“So you guys don’t see each other for over a year and now you wanna be best friends?”

 

“Oh, don’t be jealous Danvers.” Maggie said, already walking away with some of the appetizers on a plat, being followed by Alex. “Kara always had a thing for me.”

 

“Excuse-me?!” Alex shouts outraged, quickly joining Maggie’s sides. “What kind of ‘thing’ are you talking about here? Because I can assure you, she has said some stuff about you… Even I had to jump in to defend your honor.”

 

“Waw, chivalry isn’t dead.” Maggie smiles. “And I’m not talking about the ‘thing’ you’re thinking about, obviously… But she and I started as rivals, not as enemies. She wanted to protect the people, so did I. She had her methods, I had mines.” Maggie started to explain, choosing a table to sit at, inviting Alex to settle as well. She puts the appetizers in the center of the table between them and continues. “We didn’t like each other’s methods because I thought she was too reckless and brutal, and she thought I was too slow and talkative. But in the end, we both protected the people, so it doesn’t matter if we like each other’s way to get to it. What matters is that we always succeeded.”

 

Alex doesn’t answer, she just looks at Maggie with such eyes it was like she was looking at a new Maggie. Well, Maggie was always morally wiser than her, she thought, but still, she never actually went so long about the battle between her and Supergirl. And when she did, she always ended up at the border between rational understanding and personal opinion. But here she just looked like she could go on about it for three hours, like telling Alex what she learned during those travels and how it changed her own vision of the world as well as how she now processes her past perceptions.

 

“What?” Maggie askes, blushing a little as she smiles at the way Alex is looking at her.

 

“Nothing.” Alex smiles, eyes leaving Maggie’s face for a second, thinking in the empty space. “You just- somehow sound wiser than before. Like- more at peace.” She said softly.

 

Now it was Maggie’s turn to look at Alex. Because even though she was, in fact, more at peace, Alex’s smile didn’t seem to be for her. It felt like she was smiling against herself, like an irony, a silent mockery. And Maggie knew here that Alex’s eyes weren’t down because she wanted to hide in respect, but because she suddenly felt shy.

 

“You know I can still read your face behind that mask, right?” Maggie reminded gently, tilting her head with a smile, only earning a sigh from Alex. “Are you going to talk on your own or do I need to interrogate you like the super wise cop that I am?”

 

“I know you want to ask a question, just do it.” Alex just smiles because Maggie was absolutely still so stubborn.

 

“Why would you feel ashamed of telling me I seem to be more at peace?”

 

Alex chuckles before exhaling soundly, amused. She looked back at Maggie, who clearly wasn’t going to just ignore it.

 

“Because-… I’m not.” Alex simply answered after trying to find better words. She looks at Maggie and just smiles sadly. “I didn’t find my peace. And I’m mad at myself for that.”

 

“Mad?”

 

“I am the Director of the DEO.” Alex reminded her. “I couldn’t dream of a better job. And I’m good at it, I know I am, so I shouldn’t even feel sorry for myself when you travelled around the world and found your own peace of mind, a way to be greater than before. But me? I-…”

 

“Alex, you’re seriously telling me you expect your job to fulfill you? Because- I mean we talked about it a long time ago.”

 

“I know…” Alex grumbles.

 

“Your focus on your job is the way you avoid your personal life’s issues.”

 

“I know…”

 

“Before it was because you were pushing down your feelings and desires. Now what is it about? Are you back on the same track again?” Maggie asked, a little bit concerned, but still composing herself to remain objective.

 

“No! Of course not, I know who I am and clearly there is no going back.” She said with a weirdo smile that made Maggie chuckle. “No it’s just-… It’s been hard.” She admitted, her voice cracking a bit under the sadness. “Not harder than I thought. Actually it was just as hard as I expected.” She confessed, feeling a little exposed now because she was saying this to Maggie, who was very much involved in this story.

 

“I know…” Maggie tells her, a little too comprehensive which makes things more uncomfortable, but also, she’s not leaving Alex’s eyes or trying to change the subject, because she still wanted to know how Alex had been doing. “Sorry if I’m going too far for you, but, have you-… tried to go out there?”

 

“You mean… Have I tried to find someone?”

 

“Well, yes. But not only. Trying to find someone feels a little like grocery shopping to me, it’s weird you know, it feels a little forced… But, you know, just going out, hanging with friends, meeting new people, flirting for no reason other than that one is cute and that one has nice hair… Just testing the water, basically.”

 

“Testing the water…?” Alex asked, looking at Maggie with a funny repulsion.

 

“Come on!” Maggie laugh. “You know what I mean! And don’t avoid the question…!” she grumbles now, patting on the table to get Alex to talk.

 

“Okay! Jeez, Detective Sawyer! Yes, I am putting myself in the wild word of potential romance, I'm not a hermit…!” she commented almost annoyed at Maggie’s stubbornness. “It just- never worked out for any of my potential romantic partners.”

 

“How many?” Maggie asked.

 

“What?”

 

“How many girls? Because if you tell me two, I’m going to lecture you for being way too picky in the first place.”

 

“I don’t know like… seven…maybe ten…ish…?” Alex pretended to forget the exact number.

 

“Ten?!” Maggie shouts in surprise. “You pictured ten potential dates and you’re still single? What the hell, Alex?”

 

“It just didn’t work out!” Alex kept insisting but without any aggressivity, thinking this was actually funny how Maggie was impressed. “I don’t want just some random girl to claim my apartment keys, I have standards…!”

 

“What standards? Don’t wear pink socks on the first Saturday of the month?” Maggie teased because now it sounded like a ridiculous excuse.

 

“No! I just want someone who has the emotional strength to be with someone like me!” Alex finally said laughing at Maggie’s stupid jokes. “Okay? I’m not- First, my job is complicated. Right? Then there is my sister, and everything in my bubble that just- can’t be told to just anybody. So yeah, the dating, it was fun in the first weeks, the first three dates. But then when it’s starting to ask for deeper information and deeper trust… I-… I just couldn’t find that comfort in the other person. So I just- started doing things without expecting to get attached. And I’m not looking anymore, I’m just waiting for things to happen or not.” She finished by taking a sip of her champagne.

 

Here Maggie understood what Alex truly meant, and she was right. Maggie didn’t have the whole secret identity and shadow job thing going on. She had her own things, but it only involved herself.

 

“Okay, I get it now. Sorry I was being an ass with my dumb jokes…” she told Alex, feeling a bit guilty for pushing her.

 

“I like your dumb jokes, and also it worked because I was okay with telling you. Don’t apologize.”

 

They shared a reassuring smile and both ate one of the appetizers at their disposal while looking over at the Waltz happening. People were getting the moves as they kept on learning and practicing, it was starting to look like something gracious. Then Alex looked back at Maggie and wondered now.

 

“What about you?” she asked her, choosing to get herself another salmon and avocado maki. “Wasn’t travelling your own way of avoiding things?”

 

“Well, actually, I’ll have you know I now have at least one ex one-night stand in each of the twelve countries I’ve been too.” Maggie answered playfully proud.

 

Alex almost chocked on her food and actually started to cough, making Maggie laugh before filling a glass with the water at their disposal on every table around the ballroom.

 

“That’s for daring asking Maggie Sawyer that kind of question.” Maggie told her.

 

“Sorry…” Alex said, wiping her mouth shyly. “But- twelve? And you lecture me for ten-ish?”

 

“But you’re Alex Danvers! You can’t just enter the playground and expect the Queen to let you run free like that…”

 

“Oh waw, okay.” Alex laughed along with her. “Well pardon me your majesty.” She said, miming a quick bow, which made Maggie chuckle. “So, which countries?”

 

“Hum… I started directly leaving for Egypt, then flew to South Korea, then back in France for two cases, then down in Senegal, back up in Italy, then all the way to Japan where I was kidnapped for thirty minutes, then back in Europe for Ireland, then I flew all the way to Australia where I ended up at the hospital, and then Brazil and Bolivia, and the last one was in Kenya but it was link to a case in Uganda… So twelve, yeah.” She concludes thinking as she drinks the last drops of her champagne.

 

“I’m sorry, hold on, you were- kidnapped? In japan?”

 

“Thirty minutes in a van, I’ve honestly been through worse.”

 

“You still got kidnapped!” Alex insisted. “You can’t just say that like you bought some ice-cream!”

 

“Actually it’s funny, because they were talking about art piece things, and then they realized I didn’t know what they were talking about, and then they realized they were just mistake me with someone else. So they stopped the van and let me go, and even apologize giving me money so I could pay a taxi.”

 

“What the hell…?” Alex just whispers, completely astonished.

 

“I know, right?” Maggie smiled. “They were such nice kidnappers…! Anyways, Instead of solving one crime and going home, I also stopped an Art Traffic.” She finished her story, getting another mushroom.

 

“Okay. Waw, your life is still so freaking exciting, I feel like stopping the World Killers wasn’t such a big deal in the end…”

 

“The what?” Maggie asked her still munching on her food.

 

“The- The three World Killers?” Alex tried to remind her. “They were all over the news. Trying to destroy the world?” Maggie didn’t seem to remember. “Supergirl being beaten to death by one of them?” she adds, seeing Maggie still not being so triggered. “Reign? Purity? Pestilence? Seriously?!”

 

“Never heard of them.” Maggie finally dropped. “But- fancy names!”

 

Alex seemed to just realize now that the world didn’t revolve around National City’s events, even when three World Killers were threatening to destroy the planet. And clearly Maggie really never heard of anything related to them.

 

“Anyways, talking about Supergirl, I met some pretty cool superheroes around the world!” Maggie kept going. “One super lady in Africa. She can adapt to her environment, so like she grows wings if she falls from a plane or breathe underwater. Then I also met one that can control plants. Oh! Do you know about the S.H.E?”

 

“The- what?”

 

“Super Heroes of Europe? It’s like a league founded by the nations of Europe. I met Shamrock in Ireland. Wanna guess her power?” she teased, already excited, but Alex couldn’t guess obviously. “Good Luck.”

 

“Good luck?”

 

“Yeah, she’s like- protected by an aura that manifests good events whenever she’s in trouble. The case was closed under two weeks thanks to her help. And then in France, I stayed for two months, and I got to meet Crimson Fox, who’s like- just gorgeous… I didn’t get to talk to her but I’m thankful she saved my ass. And also Detective Fantôme, who helped me find most of the clues I needed on my second case. Also, if Kara wants to fight against the strongest Frenchman, Adamantine is pretty cool.”

 

“Waw, sounds like you enjoyed your time in France better than in National City.” Alex grins, teasing Maggie’s usual conflicted mind regarding superheroes.

 

“Come on, they were French, it changes everything! Also they don’t have the same powers and stuff. But I think my favorite discovery was when I was in Egypt, when I got lost and was welcomed by The Bana, a group of Amazons that left Themyscira and founded a city in Egypt.”

 

“Wow… A city of women?”

 

“Yeah. I know. Wish I could have stayed there too.” Maggie smugly comments. “But anyways, I also met some heroes from Asia and in South America. It was interesting to see how each of them saw their place in the world, how their stories differ, how they intend on protecting the people they live along with... It wasn’t just fulfilling because of work. It was really about connecting with others, and discovering their world through their eyes. Not through some club med that puts you in a bubble. No, I was meeting the real people, I was in the real environment, like a sponge, just taking in everything I could see or hear, even eat, you know, because it’s part of the culture.”

 

Alex was only listening to Maggie passionately telling her how her year was truly what brought her to this peace of mind. Maggie was always a people person, she likes to talk with strangers and just learn their minds and believes. Alex was more about global science, while Maggie preferred instantaneous philosophy.

 

“You’re staring again…” Maggie grumbles through her smile, tensing her arms on the table, almost pushing herself away.

 

“Sorry.” Alex chuckles, looking somewhere else for a second to break the minutes she spent only looking at Maggie. Then she looks at the dance, and she hears one of the dancers announce that it would be the last Waltz, to Gramafon by Eugen Doga. And she thinks a second that was long enough for Maggie to start worrying.

 

“Danvers…”

 

“Come on.” Alex said, standing up with determination. “Let’s go dance.”

 

“I thought you never wanted to Waltz ever again.” Maggie reminded, but without rejecting.

 

“But it’s Gramafon! We learned the choreography on this music, come on! Hurry!”

 

And Maggie just chuckles as she stands up and quickly joins Alex in the great space of the ballroom. They are being stared at by the other couples who had been learning to dance for thirty minutes, and one of the professional dancers came to them politely.

 

“Are you finally willing to try? We don’t mind late decisions, better now than never.” He smiled.

 

“Thank you, but we already took six hours of training, we won’t be needing any guidance.” Maggie answered with the same politeness, taking Alex’s hand, trying to ignore just how gentle and soft it felt, trying to ignore how she could see the same feeling run over Alex’s face.

 

“Oh, interesting!” the dancer said, excited. “Well, we’ll begin then, everyone?” he called, giving a sign to the musicians.

 

So Maggie and Alex just settle correctly, and because her trail will probably be too long to dance, Alex just grabs it, and starts thinking of what to do with it.

They both feared they might struggle to find the harmony, that one might look down at their feet to make sure, the other apologizing. That maybe as they softly dance in squared moves and spin their center around the room, maybe they’d miss something.

But none of that happened.

 

“Here, give it to me.” Maggie proposed gently, taking the train in her left hand, between her fingers, earning a soft ‘thank you’ from Alex.

 

It all came back naturally as soon as their hands touches. As soon as Maggie put her left hand on Alex’s side so the trail wouldn’t annoy them. As soon as Alex rested her right hand on Maggie’s shoulder. It all came back like yesterday. And for the first few melodic notes they only focused on how the other one was breathing, how the other one was looking back into deep eyes.

 

Because it was just another second before the regular rhythm starts to tone elegantly, and Maggie gently guided her right foot forward, her knee barely touching Alex’s own, while Alex moves her left foot backward.

They both landed softly on the floor, bending their knees to not even make a single sound with their short heels. And then Maggie brought her left foot forward, a hip distance away from her right, and Alex followed her by bringing her right foot back.

When Maggie brings her right foot against the left one, barely sliding it, Alex mirrors her and brings her left to her right.

When Maggie steps her left foot back, Alex moves her right foot forward, and now her legs slides gently against Maggie, barely. And when Maggie moves her right foot back, same hip distance away from her left foot, Alex brings her left foot forward the same way.

And they completed the same squared move when Maggie brought her left foot to her right, and Alex her right foot to her left, once again mirroring Maggie.

And they kept on following this rhythm, spinning as they did and exploring the space of the ballroom, never looking away, always trusting the other one.

 

Alex’s head was spinning with Maggie’s whole figure, as if her true gravity was right there holding her and guiding her through every step and every turn. Maggie’s dominant leg always caressing her own so gently as she steps forward, and hers answering the same gentleness on the next same move. She was completely relaxed, completely trusting Maggie’s decisions and knowing how to follow her rightfully.

At some point they both felt like it was time for them to change their dominant foot, so instead of starting the square with the right foot, Maggie would use the left one, making them spin in the other direction.

The rhythm was clear and soft, delicate, just as their steps. And Maggie could simply feel Alex knowing her trough her moves. She knew how far Maggie would step forward, so she knew how far to step backward. She knew Maggie’s angle to spin, so she’d follow her like the moon follows the Earth.

Maggie barely pulls on Alex’s side, and Alex just knows how to respond. She let Maggie guide her into her first mid-spin, leaving Maggie’s hold on her side just enough to feel like something is missing, but also feeling Maggie behind still guiding her. And when she comes back, Maggie’s hand is still holding her dress, and now it’s coming to rest on the same spot of her side again so they can keep travelling around the available space together.

And Alex’s eyes started to shine a gentle light of nostalgy, remembering just how their relationship used to be like this most of the time. Maggie guiding her, earning her trust, never pushing her, never pulling her, sometimes encouraging her to move on her own and always trusting her to come back.

 

They kept on dancing gracefully as the music went on, listening to some changes and including some special moves, changing ways, exploring the ballroom as they also explored the music. Until the music faded away and marked the end of this pure moment of connection.

 

And if Maggie didn’t gently stop their dance, Alex would have kept going for another endless minute. But Maggie stopped them. And she smiled as they both welcome back the world surrounding them. And Alex could only smile back, shyly, hiding the disappointment. Though there is something that Maggie did not do, and that’s to take her hands off of Alex’s body. She did not let go of her hand, did not let go of her side, did not let go of her eyes either.

 

“My lovely people, it was a pleasure to share this beautiful moment with all of you.” One of the professional dancers said to the crowd, getting lots of applaud. “Sadly I have to announce the end of the Waltz activity…” and people just awed in disappointment. “But it isn’t the end of the night! And romance is definitely still in the air…!” she teased, looking at many couples around the room, including Maggie and Alex.

 

This is when Maggie felt like she had to let go of Alex. Setting her free from her hands. And when Maggie’s warmth left her, Alex felt a cold breeze caress her painfully.

 

“Now, please do enjoy the rest of the night with your amazing private show!” the dancer greeted, encouraging people to welcome the band with a round of applaud. “Thank you very much!” she finished with a theatrical bow that her colleagues did as well.

 

And the dancers left, while the singer tested the mic again.

 

“ _Hi everyone_.” She said though the mic. “ _So I hope you enjoyed going back in time for a little while. We’re going to try keeping you in the present. Because that’s also what romance is about. It’s all about the present, right? So, please, come and dance with your partner on our slow version of Heartlines._ ” She finished, receiving a respectful applaud again for the band while the guitarist was getting a hold of his acoustic guitar and more duos were coming in the cleared space to dance together.

 

As if it wasn’t painful enough. Just as she hears the first notes of this meaningful song, Alex felt like the Universe was just, once again, playing against her, disturbing her, hurting her on purpose. Maybe she should leave. Ask Kara to fly away. Where was she even?

But when Alex tries to move away, she feels a warm hold around her wrist, sliding down her hand, inviting her to stay. And when she turns around to face Maggie, all she sees is a welcoming smile.

 

“May I have this dance?” Maggie asked her.

 

Like a flash from the past, Alex move her hand forward and comes back into Maggie’s gravity, sliding her hands around her shoulder, linked behind her neck, while Maggie shyly slides hers behind Alex’s back to hold her. Even though they felt shy and dangerously like they were crossing lines, their bodies did not hesitate to come closer.

 

“It’s nice dancing with you again.” Maggie confessed. “Here I thought I was going to spend the night trying to find an excuse to leave.” She smiled.

 

And Alex smiled and chuckles back, bringing her forehead to Maggie’s, feeling her relax under the gesture.

 

“Are you happy with your Secret Match?” Alex asked her teasingly, and now Maggie was the one laughing.

 

“I already told you. You’re the only woman who could make me like Valentine’s day.” Maggie said, realizing just how vulnerable she’d let herself be just right now. “That hasn’t changed…” she timidly added, stroking Alex’s covered skin in her back.

 

Alex gently sled her hands out and took Maggie’s own hands, guiding her on how to hold her now. Maggie now had her right hand on Alex’s shoulder, while Alex’s left hand was holding her by her side. And their other hands were linked, holding each other. Maggie just caressed Alex’s neck, and came to rest her head against Alex’s body while now Alex was guiding them though the dance.

 

“Can we pretend like nothing is pulling us apart?” Alex asked after a few second, whispering in Maggie’s hear, sounding almost broken.

 

“Do you want to pretend like you don’t want to be a mother one day?” Maggie asked back, but without any aggressivity or rudeness, only a real question she wanted Alex to consider.

 

“No…” Alex answered, stroking Maggie’s sides with her thumb. “But you heard what the singer said before starting to sing our song.” she then explained just as gently. “Romance is about the present.” Alex told her, kissing her temple and getting lost simply in the feeling of Maggie’s hair so soft on her face.

 

“What about the present?” Maggie asked, kissing Alex’s skin between her shoulder and her neck, closing her eyes as Alex’s perfume relaxed her in her arms.

 

“In the present…” Alex said moving to kiss Maggie’s warm and softly blushing cheek. “I don’t want to pretend like I don’t want you.” She simply answered.

 

And because Maggie didn’t have another thing to say, because she couldn’t even find a word that could express any of her feelings, Maggie just moved her head and kissed Alex’s cheek too, and then dared to look into her eyes. And this simple look only encouraged Alex to move again, her cheek touching Maggie’s cheek. Her nose brushing Maggie’s nose. Her eyes looking into Maggie’s eyes. Tingles running all over her body as Maggie’s entire existence starts to run into her body.

 

Feeling a soft and warm breeze escaping, Alex can already remember how Maggie’s lips feels, and it only makes her want to kiss her even more.

So she does.

Like Maggie was made of a mist of dreams and whispers, Alex leans in slowly, so softly parting her lips so she could hug Maggie’s welcoming ones.

And this kiss is shy. But this kiss is also embracing freedom.

Like whispering fireworks exploding inside of them both, the stars they shoot are aligned again, and the Universe feels peaceful and grand, infinite. Maggie’s hands coming to rest on Alex’s cheeks, and Alex’s hands holding Maggie by her waist, keeping each other here and there, in their world where nothing but the present is worth being lived.

Alex is only scared of leaving Maggie’s lips and feeling only cold and emptiness. And not only does her fear comes true, but the music also fades away, and now she’s also surrounded by silence. Her universe is cold, empty and silent. So she opens her eyes, thinking maybe it might also be drowned in darkness.

But it isn’t. Because Maggie is still in her arms, still warm and whole. And only this is enough for Alex to breathe and believe again.

Though the song had stopped, and Maggie starts to leave her hold.

 

“We should probably leave some space to the others.” Maggie shyly proposed, starting to leave.

 

Because it was all in the moment, right? So now this present was in the past, just like everything else. Including this kiss. Including Alex. Maggie had nothing to do in the past, or in a present that wasn’t hers.

 

“Maggie…!” Alex called in a breath before grabbing her hand to keep her here.

 

“It’s okay, Alex. You can let go.” Maggie tells her, way to gently, like a sacrifice she was once again willing to make for her once again.

 

“No.” Alex answers, stepping into Maggie’s space again. “No, I don’t want to.” She says holding her jaw to look into Maggie’s sorry eyes. “Not right now.”

 

And she promises something deeper than the universe’s infinite by claiming Maggie’s lips again. And this time she keeps her close, and doesn’t give enough space for time to pass by when she leaves her lips and captures them again. Every tear they cry will flow smoothly down one path that cannot be broken.

And as every kiss goes on, Alex refuses to let go of Maggie. And even now, Maggie still finds the infinite will to trust Alex, even when she leaves her lips without coming back. Because this time, when she opens her eyes, she doesn’t just see Alex standing there without any clue of what’s happening. She knows where she is and what she wants. For this, Maggie is ready to follow her anywhere.

 

“Maggie, I-” Alex tries to say something but the singer announces that the dancefloor is going to warm up a bit, and the band starts playing some more funky songs.

 

So instead of finishing her question, Alex just keeps a hold of Maggie’s hand and starts to walk them both away from the ballroom, taking the stairs, and feeling Maggie following her. When they get to the corridor, they go all the way to the hall and go down the stairs, still holding each other’s hand.

 

 

 

 

** OUTSIDE OF THE NC HERMAN MEMORIAL RESIDENCY: **

 

 

“I swear I will cry if they stop us.” Ross said, since she finally got her girlfriend out of the airport and got back in town faster than planned.

 

“Or I can just break us in…” her girlfriend proposed like an easy solution.

 

“That sounds like a- wow, wait, is that-”

 

And Ross had to be dreaming or seeing things, because Maggie and Alex were leaving the Masquerade Bal. Together. Hand in hand.

 

“Someone punch me in the face right now.” She demands completely shocked.

 

“Is she-”

 

“Getting some? Yeah she is…!” Ross growled overly excited.

 

And Maggie was too busy getting in a cab with Alex to see Ross, but Ross didn’t really care about that, actually she’d rather Maggie not see her if it meant she’ll leave with Alex in such a hurry and so early.

And she wasn’t worried for the aftermath. Ross and Maggie talked enough for her to predict a happy ending, no matter how long it took. So she just grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and smile peacefully.

 

“Come on, let’s go have our own fun too.” she said gently, guiding her in the residency.

 

 

 

When Alex opened the door of the car to her, Maggie didn’t even hesitate to follow her lead. She just got in, and then Alex sat next to her, giving the driver her address.

They hadn’t spoken before the car started. It all just felt so simple and natural, so smooth. But there Maggie started to panic internally, wondering what the hell she was doing, just following Alex to her apartment without a word after more than a year not seeing each other?

 

“Hey.” Alex called softly, her hand coming to cover Maggie’s.

 

Maggie just looked at their hands, and then looked up to Alex’s eyes.

 

“What’s going on?” Alex asked her, stoking the skin under her thumb.

 

“I just- I don’t know what I’m doing.” Maggie answered very vulnerably, without a smile or a laugh to protect herself.

 

“What do you want to be doing?”

 

“I-”

 

“Do you want me to stop the cab?” Alex proposed as a real option. “We can just leave it here, go our separate ways. If that’s what you want. I’ll respect that.”

 

“I don’t think that’s what I want.”

 

“Do you want to come home with me? Spend the night together?”

 

“What about after the night?” Maggie asks, because that’s what she was really wondering.

 

“We can talk, or not. We can sleep, or not… We can do whatever you want.”

 

“We can’t do what I want.” Maggie explained almost sadly, seeing the streetlights enlightening Alex’s face with yellow flashes as they keep on driving through the city.

 

“Tell me what you want.” Alex asked again, brining Maggie’s hand to her mouth so she could kiss it. “Just tell me.”

 

“I want you.” Maggie just tells her, desperately hurting herself as she says those words. “I want you, I always wanted you.”

 

“You have me.” Alex whispers, because their faces were closer than before. “You always have, Maggie. I never stopped being yours. I never wanted to be anyone else’s. You have me.”

 

And because it was enough, Maggie didn’t say another word, only kept her hand on Alex’s cheek, keeping her here with her while she could.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh well looks like there is a Chapter 3 :)  
> But feel free to comment on this chapter too though, I like to read what you guys think of each chapter.


	3. Let Our Mask Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut in this chapter  
> But also more than just smut

 

 

 

** ALEX’S APARTMENT : **

 

 

As soon as Alex opened the door, Maggie felt this indescribable feeling of pure calmness. Just the click of the keyhole was familiar enough for her to feel home again. And between these walls she knew every detail of, Maggie still remembered the warm heat coming from inside the apartment, the one that smelled a little bit like hot shower and hints of perfume, as well as dry plants and cold coffee marc.

 

“Come here.” Alex smiled at Maggie, taking her by the hand and hugging her in the middle of the apartment.

 

For Maggie this was everything she ever missed. No matter where she was on the planet, all she would dream of was this woman holding her here, in this place that once was theirs. So she held onto Alex’s perfect back structure and just fell into this memory that was coming back to life. Alex’s back was soft, tall, line and gentle. Her arms were strong but right now they felt like the softest embrace. Maggie could picture the hands holding her waist and her lower back, every pressure made that picture so much more detailed, engraving this moment in her mind and solving the puzzle that time had started to scatter in limbo.

 

“I’ve miss you like this.” Alex said in Maggie’s shoulder, tightening her hold onto Maggie’s body, getting her closer, feeling her curves so well drawn into hers. “Here, with me, in this apartment. I’ve missed you here with me.” She keeps saying, losing herself in Maggie’s warmth and softness.

 

And because right now the world is tough and cruel, they both create a place where it is light and safe.

So the masks fall off, because there is no reason for them to hide. And without those masks, they both see each other new again.

And like their first time loving each other this way, every movement is careful while they step in the bedroom, every question is asked while they hold each other closer, every look is met with an adoring admiration, and every kiss gives an explosive sensation of needing more.

 

Maggie’s hands were always warm when touching Alex. And tonight was not going to be an exception. Because as soon as Maggie starts to take Alex’s dress off from behind her back, it’s Alex can focus on: Maggie’s touch like a ray of sunshine caressing her.

Her dress falls on the ground of her bedroom, and Alex doesn’t have time to feel exposed that Maggie is already covering her naked skin with warm hugs of her lips and warm hugs of her hands. This is all Alex wanted to feel like, the sensation of Maggie protecting her vulnerability and cherish it.

 

“I’ve missed you so much.” Maggie whispers against Alex’s neck as she traces her teeth on the sensitive skin there.

 

Alex only sigh and turns around so she can capture those lips she craved so much, pulling Maggie into her and fumbling to take her costume off as well. But Maggie has so many layers it’s driving her crazy. She needs her pure and vulnerable with her but it feels like it’s taking too much time.

Maggie puts her hands on Alex’s own to stop her from urging herself.

 

“Hey, hey, look at me…” she asked softly, so Alex did. “Don’t rush… Okay?”

 

“I just really need you with me right now.” Alex tells her.

 

“I know… But- Alex, we have the whole night for ourselves.” Maggie reminded her, kissing Alex as to take her worries away. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

 

The reassurance in Maggie’s words was all Alex needed. Her body relaxed, allowing her to be more gentle than ever. She took Maggie’s vest off, and opened the shirt all the way down. Then she sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed Maggie’s belt to start undoing it as well. And feeling Maggie’s finger grab at her neck made Alex tremble in desires, so as she was working Maggie’s belt and pants off, she also nuzzled her access to Maggie’s stomach, kissing the toned abdomen and enjoying Maggie’s breaths following the traces of her mouth and lasting the length of her tongue.

 

“Alex…”

 

And Alex’s ears rang at the simple sound of her name falling from Maggie’s lips this way. This melody was unique to Maggie and no other woman had ever been able to make it sound so special.

Maggie felt Alex guide her pants down and she helped remove the shoes and socks before sitting back properly, with Maggie standing in front of her, so tall and magnificent here, looking at her like they were completely alone in this world. And Maggie cupped Alex’s face to come down and give her another kiss. One that promised care and love through the night.

So Alex let Maggie push her back further toward the bed frame, laying her down, climbing onto it as she follows her, and as Maggie straightens back, she caresses Alex’s opened thighs, feeling the woman completely give in under her touch.

And Alex doesn’t miss a second of it when Maggie take her shirt off, when she takes off her bra and looks absolutely stunning and still is the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen. When she reaches for Alex’s underwear and asks with those deeply brown eyes. When she starts pulling on the edge of her thong when Alex lifts her hips just enough and guides it down her long legs. When Maggie comes back to her and kisses her with every ounce of desire burning for her.

And when Alex takes her own bra off, all she can feel is her skin being covered entirely by Maggie’s own. Like a kiss that involves more than just her lips. Like a hug that involves more than just her arms. And because Alex had craved those lonely dreams, she held onto this reality, pulling Maggie closer to her, so much closer in whimpers, like she couldn’t get enough of her.

 

“I love you.” Escapes her lips like the sound of freedom.

 

And Maggie’s tongue traces those lips, as to taste the words that they just formed, and Alex takes this tongue in her mouth for her to take everything she needed from her. And Maggie moans as she does feel the truth invade her senses.

 

“And I love you.” Maggie said so close to Alex she could feel the words touch her lips too.

 

None of them stopped. None of them hesitated. The memory of their bodies was perfect and yet it all felt new again, maybe like a recovered souvenir. Alex’s nails tracing down Maggie’s back as Maggie’s tongue traces down Alex’s chest. Alex’s breath turning into an awed gasp when Maggie’s tongue tastes the underside of her breasts. Maggie’s own hands holding Alex’s hips down against the mattress as she loses herself with her, bringing her to the edge just with the simple touch of her tongue while her finger had so rightfully found their fit inside of her.

But it was also the souvenir of Alex’s own lips kissing down Maggie’s salty curves. And Maggie’s moans breaking under Alex’s mouth covering her center and claiming Maggie as hers. It was Maggie’s hands grasping at Alex’s hair and shoulder as she follows the movement of her hips against her mouth. Alex’s hands traveling up Maggie’s breasts to massage her desires and up Maggie’s thigh to open it wider while she keeps on working her up.

It’s the souvenir of deliverance when they both feel their lust explode through their body, the chills run across their skin under the other one’s touch. It’s remembering how peaceful their mind is when the only thing on it is the other one’s name. It’s remembering how to breathe again when the air was stolen by the most beautiful creature.

 

It was all about the memory of one another, of together. And as every cell and every sense of Alex’s body was restored with Maggie’s existence, all she needed to care about was making sure Maggie was coming back down with her as peacefully. And she was, calmly, just appreciating in silence every stage of their love making as arms wrap her in a cocoon of care.

 

 

For a few minutes, none of them talk. They just spend some time in each other’s arms, caressing each other’s skin. Looking into each other’s eyes, scanning the other one’s features from up close as to imprint this new memory to last forever.

 

“Can I tell you something?” Alex asks Maggie shyly at some point.

 

“Hmm-m. Sure.” Maggie smiled gently.

 

“I want you in my life.” She tells her, stroking her cheek, and placing a delicate kiss on her lips and going back to her place after that, waiting for Maggie to eventually say or do something.

 

“Why are you telling me this?” Maggie asks with a soft voice, a little bit lost.

 

“Because that’s how I feel.”

 

“But why now?”

 

“Because- I know I stopped saying it… at some point.” Alex said with a hint of shame. “And I think you left thinking I didn’t want you at all. And that wasn’t true.” She told her, moving her head closer to Maggie’s neck. “I wanted you in my life, but I also wanted more…”

 

“I know.” Maggie smiled understanding.

 

“And I still want you in my life today.” Alex confessed again.

 

“So do I. But we still don’t want the same things. You want to be a mother. Have a tiny human that calls you mom and looks after you while you teach them about the world… You want all the responsibilities it implies, and you have that instinct, this motherhood nature that makes it all so simple for you to desire those things… And it’s a beautiful thing,” Maggie adds because she wanted to tell Alex she wasn’t in the wrong at all. “But I don’t have this instinctive desire… I don’t want to be called mom, it just doesn’t fit my own nature, or the way I see my own identity as an individual… But you shouldn’t try to ignore it just for me. I don’t want you to do that.”

 

“I don’t want to either. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

 

“And if anything… I want you to become a mother.” Maggie dared to express. “No matter how we end up being in each other’s lives, I want to see you become a mother.”

 

Alex thought about just how much Maggie had compartmentalized her feelings for her to now think this way. The way she thought about Alex and not about how it would affect her. And now she even wanted to see her be a mother. Somehow it didn’t surprise Alex, but still, Maggie must have tortured herself to put her ego and her implication in Alex’s life. Something that even Alex still had a hard time doing. She did say that if she had to become a mother alone, then she’ll do it… But it would only be her last wish. If anything she wanted Maggie to be here with her. And after a year trying to erase the memories she had of her, Alex still couldn’t picture anyone else but Maggie.

Alex felt a gentle caress sliding from her shoulder to her neck, and she got out of her thoughts to see Maggie giving her the time she needed to finish this thinking process.

 

“I think I’m too stubborn to move on.” Alex tells her.

 

And Maggie just starts to chuckle, thinking Alex’s voice right here was absolutely adorable, even though it was a little bit sad.

 

“I’m not even surprised.” Maggie finally says, still smiling, making Alex laugh now.

 

“I’m serious though.” Alex tries to compose herself again. “I really never felt like I was moving on. Really. I know I want you. I always did and I always will. And I need you in my reality somehow, but I don’t want to have anyone else by my side. It just never felt right. I mean it felt okay, but with you it always feel perfect. So I- I mean is it crazy to say… that I don’t want to be with anyone else even if it means I’m gonna be single forever?”

 

“It’s never going to be this easy.” Maggie sadly told her.

 

“I know… But I just really don’t want to have anyone else in my arms like this.” Alex knew and ensured. “I just know I can’t. Even if I try and force myself, no matter how many girls I hold, I know I’ll never be able to not compare them to you. I’ll always picture you instead of them. I’ll always think about you, and I won’t even feel bad, because you’re the one I want this way… Am I- being awful to you? I’m so sorry.” She suddenly realized and panicked at the simple idea of hurting Maggie. “I shouldn’t say those things knowing we’ll probably never find any way to be together again like this, and you literally work around the world, this isn’t fair to you.”

 

“Hey, no, don’t be sorry. Your feelings are always valid, no matter what they are, as long as they’re true. It’s just-… I really wish for you to find a fulfilling happiness. But also-…”

 

Maggie stopped talking and sigh, thinking maybe she should stop here. But Alex was now looking at her with concern.

 

“There is just something I should have told you before anything else.” Maggie said with a hint of fear in her voice.

 

“What is it?” Alex asked her, caressing her cheek sweetly, wanting to reassure her. “You know you can tell me anything too.”

 

“It’s about…” and she sighs again because there was no going back. “Something came up with work. You see, when I work abroad, the local Chief has to give a report of my contribution to my Chief.”

 

“Hm-m…” Alex smiles, wanting to tell Maggie she was listening.

 

“Well, the reason why I came back is because the contract I signed was limited in time.”

 

“So… you’re not going to work abroad anymore?” Alex asked her, sounding shyly hopeful.

 

“No… But- I won’t be working at the NCPD either. I’m- not staying in National City.”

 

Alex felt this revelation like a rollercoaster. The apprehension of the greatest release as Maggie brings her up and higher, but the high made her forget the possibility that once on top, once facing the edge, she might wish she’d never climbed so high.

 

“What do you mean? Are you- leaving?” Alex asked, now her heart feeling like it was getting crushed.

 

“Just- let me explain.” Maggie interrupts, still being sweet, and actually getting on her elbows to talk her through it all. “When my Boss called me back, he said he’d have to read all of my reports with- basically our Federal board? To see if we could expend this area of work and maybe send more people around the globe. And a week ago he asked me in his office, and said my file was- excellent.” She just said, drawing a smile of disbelieve just thinking about it. “And I thought that he would maybe propose me to sign another contract, but instead of that, he gave me a new one. The possibility to be transferred in a locality that needs far more help, and a new mind, like mine.” She told Alex with a smile, looking at her like she had the most serious job opportunity laying in her hands, staying silent to see if Alex was still following. “Alex, I’m- I’ve been asked to join the Gotham City Police Department.” She said in a sigh.

 

Alex herself had forgotten how to use her voice for a second. Gotham City. Possibly one of the darkest places in the country with, literally, the darkest criminals and vigilantes. Kind of the Super’s rivals none the less…

 

“Gotham?” Alex says again.

 

“Yeah! I mean, I don’t know how long I’ll stay there, but it’s like my dreamed opportunity.”

 

“You- You agreed, thoughtfully, to go to Gotham City?”

 

“Yes.” Maggie simply answered, still with a smile.

 

“Maggie, I’d rather have you gone for North Korea.”

 

“Alex don’t be dramatic…” Maggie smugly chuckles, caressing Alex’s arm.

 

“Kara’s been there, and from what I’ve learn from the daily news, Gotham isn’t the first peaceful destination that comes to mind.”

 

“Well, Kara is a ray of sunshine who eats and breathes sunlight. I’m not. Plus, you just don’t want me to go because you’re scared. Which is kinda cute…”

 

“Of course I’m scared…!” Alex almost exclaims, sitting up on the bed, followed gently by Maggie. “Gotham is like Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November. Damn right I’m scared…!”

 

“But I’m not.” Maggie tells her, still softly, because she wanted to influence Alex’s mood with hers. “And yeah, maybe it is a pretty dark place, I’ll give you that…”

 

“Hmm…”

 

“But my job isn’t exactly supposed to be joyful and fun. I’ve seen the dark and cold of every city I’ve been to. And it’s not because of the lack of sunlight, it’s because people do dark and cold things, and it reflects on their environment. And my job, just like your job, is about making the world a better place.” She said to Alex, cupping her cheeks and approaching her face to hers to make sure she was looking at her. “Especially where it’s dark and cold.”

 

Alex knew Maggie wasn’t going to say no to an opportunity like this one. Because even Alex wouldn’t have said no if she was in her place. So she just leaned in and kissed her, already feeling like she was saying goodbye.

 

“So... When are you leaving?" Alex asked her, fearing the answer.

 

"Sunday afternoon...?" Maggie answered, just as sorry to say it as Alex was to hear it.

 

"Sunday...? Damn..." Alex chuckles through her sadness, feeling Maggie stoke her hands as she realizes Maggie will be leaving way sooner than ever expected. "So I’m- I'm not going to see you again after you leave…” Alex said, her voice trembling under her emotions.

 

“Hey…” Maggie kept Alex’s hands in hers, wanting to stop her from feeling so sad. “I said I didn’t know how long my contract will last. It doesn’t mean I’ll stay there forever.”

 

“But what if you do?”

 

“Then… I don’t want you to spend your life imprisoning yourself. I meant what I said. I really want you to be happy. Truly happy. Fully happy.” She smiled, seeing Alex’s eyes being filled with tears. “I know you have a heart big enough to love again.” She told her, kissing her cheek and wiping her tears away. “And I know it hurt right now, but you have to trust me when I say that you will be absolutely and madly happy one day.”

 

Alex kissed Maggie again, this time made it last longer than before. She gently pushed Maggie against the mattress again, feeling Maggie wasn’t resisting at all. She only kept Alex in her arms, her nails scratching her scalp gently and loving to feel Alex’s naked body against hers shiver, caressing her soft skin as to sign it with her affection.

 

“Can I just love you alone? Just you? For now?” Alex asked her, stroking Maggie’s cheek with her thumb. “We could just- love each other? Just for tonight? Just- until you leave?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah we can.” Maggie smiled, pulling Alex to kiss her again, feeling Alex sink into the same energy as hers without even thinking twice.

 

 

And they kept their promise : they made love to each other in the sweetest way they possibly could, making everything last longer than before, because they didn’t want it to be over so soon. They wanted this night to last forever, or to last in a spacetime that only they could control.

 

 

 

 

** FRIDAY 15th FEBRUARY 2019 **

 

 

Supergirl and Dreamer were flying around National City together, helping civilians with basic tasks but being very useful : Supergirl carried a couch to the eighth floor by flying to the wide balcony, which left like Christmas for the guys who would have had to take the stairs for that. Dreamer quickly recaptioned a football because she had a quick vision about this kid running after it without looking at the traffic on the road. And other quick tasks that had them warm up for the day before going to CatCo.

They decided to stop by Alex’s apartment too, just to say hi and see if she wanted a fly to the DEO or something to eat.

 

 

 

** ALEX’S APARTMENT: **

 

 

“Alex?! I-” Kara stopped shouting her name to simply scream out at the sight of Maggie, just pouring coffee in a cup while reading a CatCo magazine, looking at Kara with a simple face, unimpressed and unaffected.

 

“Maggie!” Kara said like she was in the military. “You’re here!”

 

“Once again, yes, I am.” Maggie answered. “Coffee’s ready!”

 

She just slides the cup on the side and start pouring hot water in another cup with a tea bag. Alex gets out the bathroom with towel-dried hair and takes her coffee, giving Maggie a kiss on the temple as a thank you. All of this before Kara’s eyes.

 

“Hello Kara.” Alex said with a fatigued smiled. “Won’t you be adorable and introduce your new masked friend to Maggie?”

 

“Right…!” Kara whispers. “Hum. Maggie this is Dreamer, National City’s new Allie. Dreamer this is Detective Maggie Sawyer…”

 

Nia came forward to share a handshake with Maggie, and as soon as she feels her skin, her powers are triggers and her mind transports her elsewhere :

_Alex was here in this large wild field, alone, sitting at a table where abalones were presented in a beautiful silver plate. She was wearing a necklace with a brilliant Jade, that she was touching lightly. In front of her was a letter that she carefully took in her hands and opened. But as she reads it, a heavy rain starts to fall. Though Alex doesn’t seem to mind the rain. When she’s done reading the letter, she puts it in a box that she keeps near her, and starts eating one of the abalones._

 

When she comes back to reality, Nia immediately checks the time on the clock : probably two seconds only had passed. But she realized she didn’t release Maggie’s hand or had said anything, and Alex was looking at her like she felt something was wrong. So she just shakes Maggie’s hand again, with enthusiasm.

 

“Pleased to meet you.” Nia said, with a wide smile to mask the awkwardness of a few vacant seconds.

 

“Yeah… If you don’t mind, I’m just going to call you Nia.” Maggie smiled, accepting the handshake.

 

Alex just can’t control her laugh and spits some coffee over the counter before she covers her mouth with her hand. And she keeps on laughing while Nia just stops breathing and Kara looks more surprised and upset and anything else.

 

“Really?! Her too?!” the blonde exclaims.

 

“Come on! Her mask is just like your glasses. You guys should be wearing hoods or full on furry animal costumes with voice changers.”

 

“You've never even met her before!” Kara argued.

 

“You right… But there is her face next to that article.” Maggie said suddenly calmly, which only made her look more smug than before and Alex laughed even more.

 

Kara just steals the magazine Maggie was holding proudly and just looks at the picture of Nia. The concerned revealed new ally was still very quiet, actually looked scared of Maggie now. But then Maggie started to share a smile with her.

 

“You know what’s funny too? Kara thinking Lena doesn’t suspect anything…” Maggie smugly said.

 

And here Nia snorted a laugh, but stopped immediately when Kara glanced at her.

 

“Sorry…” Nia whispered, trying to not laugh again.

 

“I like her, she’s fun.” Maggie said enthusiastically about Nia.

 

And while the adorable new superhero was now smiling and blushing ridiculously, Maggie was just going back next to the toaster where some bread had time to cool down for her. Alex had just been observing the scene and now she was the one going around the counter.

 

“So, why did you girls fly here this morning?” she asked with a smile.

 

“Just wanted to know if you wanted a lift to the DEO?” Kara answers with a question.

 

“Oh! I took the day off, actually.” Alex explained.

 

“Oh okay. Oh...!” Kara said with a surprised tone as she starts understanding why Alex would ever take a day off, and the reason was just sipping her tea behind Alex. “Right. Of course.”

 

“But if there is an emergency I still want to be informed.”

 

“Sure.” Kara said, but she wasn’t going to be the one to take Alex’s miraculous day off away.

 

Alex sighs as she understands Kara’s plan, so she looks at Nia with a professional posture.

 

“Can I count on you, Dreamer?” she asks with this tone that made Maggie grin in amusement.

 

“Of course Director Danvers.” Nia answers right away.

 

“Good. Then both of you go check in the DEO. Agent Dox will be your Supervising Director for the day.”

 

“What?!” Supergirl squeals in a giggle that was clearly meant to be condescending.

 

“Come on, Brainy?” Nia smiled the same way. “Boss of the day?”

 

“Why not?” Alex asked with a child-like voice, fearing the hesitation they both seemed to share.

 

“Well it’s- I mean he’s a great Agent.” Kara starts before anything else. “Great with… Math. Calculations. Statistics… But- Are you sure he can handle your position?”

 

“Of course! I taught him everything!” Alex defends, feeling a little offended now. “If he doesn’t know what to do then he’ll just think about what I would do.”

 

“That’s supposed to reassure them?” Maggie snorted her mouth full.

 

Alex just shushed her with a finger at her, as if she wanted to put it on her mouth but she was too far. Kara and Nia both laugh and started to walk toward the window to leave.

 

“Okay well, you enjoy every minute of your first day off in ages,” Kara smugly recommended to her sister. “We’ll take care of everything DEO-y.”

 

“Surfing emoji if you need help.” Maggie told her.

 

Kara just chuckled and flew out, followed by Nia. Maggie caught the new superhero joyfully say, “That one is so cool!” as they both fly away to the DEO. And it made Maggie breath out a chuckle through her nose while Alex comes around the counter and leans into her side, an arm trapping her against the counter to have her surrounded only by Alex.

 

“This Nia is a cute one.” Maggie told her without looking away from the window, appreciating seeing the bright light coming in while Alex hummed a yes near her ear. “It’s good Kara made a new fun friend to fly around with her.”

 

“Actually Nia can’t fly on her own.” Alex tells her. “She uses a ring from the 31st century brought by Brainy who’s a 12th-level intellect Coluan.” She rapidly explained before kissing Maggie’s cheek and drinking her coffee after that.

 

Maggie didn’t even frown her eyes. She just did that face with her eyes wide open and the pout on her face, just nodding, accepting the confusing information as a casual fact. Alex chuckled because she knew that face and she always found it funny. It felt so good to see it again, and to laugh about it again. She couldn’t help herself and kiss Maggie’s face again.

 

“I mean sure. Obviously, I totally got that.” Maggie answered finally.

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

“The ring from the future she was wearing? Of course! I’m a detective!” she told Alex, turning around and kissing her laughing smile. “It totally looks like a classic 31st century flying device.”

 

“You’re messing with me.” Alex pouts as she laughs.

 

“Yes I am.”

 

And even though they were both laughing, they couldn’t help themselves and still kissed again, trying to kiss the smiles away, but they wouldn’t stop smiling, because there were too many reasons to smile and not enough reasons to stop.

So Alex put her cup down, and took Maggie’s cup off her hands to put it away too, and Maggie just followed Alex’s steps as she guides her out of the kitchen side and into the living room, and up the set of stairs to the bed again.

 

From here everything went as smoothly as if nothing had ever changed.

Alex’s hands in Maggie’s hair, pulling just hard enough.

Maggie’s hands grasping at Alex’s soft skin good enough.

Alex’s chills following Maggie’s move.

Maggie’s kiss traveling Alex’s salty and ticklish paths.

Alex’s gasps captured by Maggie’s lips.

Maggie’s breaths savored by Alex’s tongue.

 

It all unraveled some time later, when they wanted the ocean to sooth the waves down slowly and calmly. It came down with Maggie on her back with Alex resting against her chest, legs tangled and breaths catching. With Maggie’s fingers petting Alex’s hair and buzzed sides. With Alex tracing Maggie’s skin under and siding her breast.

 

Alex spent as much time as she could with Maggie before going for the night at the DEO. Of course she wasn’t going to leave Brainy handle both the day and the night shifts by himself. Plus the night was used for planned experimentations and Alex wanted to be here for the first test of the new space suits.

Maggie would go back to Ross’ apartment for the night. She had all of her things there, and she also needed to work on some stuff about her new place in Gotham. She left Alex’s place with Alex, who insisted on driving her to Ross’ place before going to the DEO.

Maggie just let Alex offer to spend more time with her. Around eight p.m. The traffic was a good opportunity to listen to some nice music and hold hands, caress one’s thigh, massage one’s neck, kiss one’s cheek, and eat pizza in the car as their dinner.

 

 

 

 

** NIA AND HER ROOMMATE’S APARTMENT : **

 

 

“She’s asleep. Again.” The roommate said unimpressed after all this time.

 

“Thanks Quinn.” Kara sigh with a smile, always amused to see them just handle everything about Nia’s naps.

 

Quinn just sigh and let Kara in. They had been tidying the apartment today, and because Nia was so disorganized, they just put all of her belongings on the armchair.

 

“I can’t believe she still has a job.” Quinn said, going on the kitchen side.

 

“Well she’s really good at it…” Kara sigh, trying to find excuses.

 

“Didn’t know she learn how to sleepwrite.” They commented, pouring some coffee in a cup.

 

Kara actually chuckled just imagining Nia writing in her sleep. Quinn was truly a whole new level of sarcastic. Maggie would really get along with them for sure. Plus Quinn was an event planner and Maggie a detective, somehow it meant they both liked to organize and solve other people’s lives.

 

“Here.” They told Kara by giving her the cup. “Bring that to her so she doesn’t fall before at least ordering pizza.”

 

“Will do.” Kara smiled, quickly going in Nia’s room.

 

 

Nia was peacefully sleeping half-sitting in her bed, the Dreamer Tome she got from her mother on her legs. This enormous book was filled with dreams symbolisms and the history of it all. So because Kara knew Nia had been sleeping for a while, she just lightly woke her up with some whispers, and Nia just emerged gently out of her dreams.

 

“Hey, it’s me.” Kara smiled. “You okay?”

 

“Yeah, yep, perfect, sorry…” Nia said, then thinking about the simple dream she just had right here. “We’re gonna have to be careful with the boats tomorrow…” she thought.

 

“Okay…!” Kara chuckled. “You were looking through your mother’s Dreamer Tome?” she sees as Nia collects her thoughts and thinks about what she was doing before falling asleep.

 

“Hum… Yeah.”

 

“The… symbolism of abalones?” Kara reads, mostly intrigued but also because it seemed funny that there would be such meaningful symbolism in a see snail.

 

“Oh, yeah, right, abalones.”

 

But Kara saw that Nia had been taking notes. Several serious notes. Which she only did when the dream felt more meaningful, more important than others.

 

“Nia, what did you dream about?”

 

“Ugh, I didn’t want to alarm you before I had a good interpretation…” Nia sighs, straightening up in her seat. “It was about Alex.”

 

“You- dreamed about Alex? When?”

 

“When I touched Maggie's hand this morning… It was a quick vision but... I don’t know, it was also set weirdly, so I wanted to check.”

 

“What do you mean ‘weirdly’?” Kara asked her, needed Nia to give her more than that.

 

“She was somewhere in nature, like a field, wearing a jade necklace and reading a letter under the rain, then she just started to eat abalones…”

 

Kara just shook her head quickly, frowning her brows, trying to get around this weird picture.

 

“I told you. Weird.” Nia said again.

 

“Yeah. Weird is… a good word for that.”

 

“Eating abalones is a symbol of success and growth. In a dream, the snail means that soon a person will appear in your life. The connection will bring you many happy times in life and fill your life with a new meaning. Uh, the Jade is… basically about the positive development of one’s personality.” Nia tried to explain simply. “Like most stones and minerals have many proprieties, Jade is all about purity, harmony, truth, growth… And since Alex was wearing it, I can only be sure it’s all about her.”

 

“Okay. Well that’s good!” Kara decided to feel like. “What about the letter? Is there a symbol to that too?”

 

“Everything about dreams is symbolic.” Nia reminded her with a smile, feeling exhausted by the learning of a whole new language.

 

“Right.”

 

“Also it depends on the way the letter is presented.” Nia continued, taking her bloc of notes and flipping the pages, looking for the right notes she got about letter. “You know, if it’s being written, received, sent, left aside, ripped off, burnt… Here Alex was opening one. It looked just fine, it was a clear paper, nothing abnormal… So that letter should indicate a new opportunity or a challenge. Or, alternatively, it could be more about guidance if you dream about yourself. Sometimes the letter can symbolize a message from your own subconscious, but since my power is about seeing the future, and that future is about Alex and not me, it’s more likely that this letter is a message from someone.”

 

“Okay. But nothing bad, right?” Kara asked again.

 

“Well, I don’t have a bad feeling about the letter itself. But, when Alex opened the letter and started to read it, it also started to rain.”

 

“That sounds bad…” Kara said, frowning her brows. “Like something sad.”

 

“Not necessarily… I mean, yes, falling rain can definitely be a metaphor for tears and sadness. That’s how I saw it first, but then I looked into the Tome, and I saw something else. See, Alex was under the rain.” Nia insisted. “That can indicate forgiveness and grace, cleaning of your troubles and problems.”

 

Kara took a few seconds to try to make sense of it all in her own mind:

 

“Could it have… anything to do with Maggie, maybe?” she asked.

 

“Well she wasn’t in the dream… but she’s the one who triggered my vision for sure.”

 

“Okay… Well I don’t see any reason to really freak out for now.”

 

“Me either.” Nia reassured. “Honestly I would have also felt it if there truly was something wrong...”

 

“Right. Well, how about you get up and come to the DEO with me then?” Kara said, changing the subject and seeing the sparks shine in Nia’s eyes.

 

“Bad guys?!” Nia smiled enthusiastically and getting up right away.

 

“Suit up, Dreamer…!” Kara grins while Nia was already doing so.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes there is a Chapter 4 lol  
> That's too sad to be left here like that, we're going for a happy ending here.  
> But tell me what you thought about that Chapter? :)


	4. Because I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just so much happening

 

 

 

** SATURDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2019 **

** ROSS’ APARTMENT: **

 

 

Maggie was alone when she woke up. Ross was staying at her girlfriend’s apartment at night while she was here, because she should leave again on a business trip in Budapest in two weeks. So Maggie had the apartment for herself.

She checked her phone while making coffee : Ross was going to come back after lunch, also being a complete puddle of fluff right now.

So Maggie decided she had enough time to call someone she needed to talk to. She asked her to bring something to eat together while they would talk. And as she waits, Maggie prepares a table on the balcony, with a coffee, a tea, and some juice. After that, it only took ten minutes for the blur flying across the sky to stop here and levitate above her.

 

“Supergirl?! Right on time.” Maggie smiled, stepping aside a little so Kara could land.

 

“Hey.” The blonde breathes out with a smile. “Oh that’s nice…!” she said adoringly looking at the table Maggie prepared, feeling suddenly very warm and cared for. “I got us bagels. Three Chocolate for me, Brownie & Caramel for you. Hope it’s still your favorite…” She comments, leaving the bag on the table.

 

“It’s perfect, thanks.”

 

“Not gonna lie, I thought you’d be at Alex’s place this morning too.”

 

“Well, not gonna lie, I would have felt a bit uneasy staying alone at her place until 5 a.m.” Maggie said back, to which Kara nods in obviousness. “Like sleeping alone in her bed like that? I don’t know, right now with the situation, for some reason it didn’t feel appropriate.”

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Kara admitted.

 

“Alex told you about me leaving for Gotham, didn’t she…?” Maggie grins, seeing the look on Kara’s face.

 

“Yeah… She did… She’s bad at keeping secrets from me.”

 

“She really is. Are you mad at me now? Leaving the Supers for the Bats?”

 

“So mad.” Kara dramatically faked, which made Maggie laugh. “I mean… The audacity…!”

 

And they both just started to laugh because it was just a game and nobody was hurt, but the idea of Maggie leaving the Super Team to join the Bats’ city was still funny.

 

“So, morning small talks, how are you doing, with your Gotham thing.” the blonde finally asked as they both sit down and she takes the bagels out of the bag.

 

“I’m good…!” Maggie said, showing the inside of the apartment with the papers on the table. “Still looking for more furniture before I get there.”

 

“Do you have a mattress and a bed structure?” Kara asked, while Maggie was serving hot water in a cup and giving Kara a box of tea bags.

 

“Some guys should have it ready for Tuesday…”

 

“Well then you’re fine.” Kara joked, which Maggie found very Kara-like.

 

“I mean as long as I have a mattress, water and a pizza…”

 

“See, like I said…!” the blonde insisted.

 

They laughed together again, but soon Kara’s laugh faded to let a question arbor her features as she chooses the lemon-flavored tea. Maggie knew she had a question so she just prepared her own coffee and let Kara ask it whenever she felt like it.

 

“So, you’re leaving tomorrow, right?” she pouts, apparently disappointed.

 

“Yeah... Wish I could push it all to next week… But I’m starting on Tuesday, and I want to at least be able to settle a little on Monday and sleep.” Maggie explained as she starts eating her bagel. “I’m taking National City, then a stop in L.A, and then Gotham...”

 

“Why didn’t you ask me, I could just fly you there, you know…?” Kara reminded her but with a smug smile that looked like a challenge.

 

“Nop! The Super flying is still out of my bucket list. Happened once, not gonna happen again.”

 

They started to laugh lightly, remembering the moment Maggie couldn’t say no to being carried by Supergirl through the sky when Alex was kidnapped. Everything was scary and stressful, both were losing their minds and their patience… But after everything was fine, after Alex was rescued and brought home safe, Kara started to tease Maggie about it, saying one day, she’ll even ask Kara to take her for a fly. It never happened, but it was a fun inside joke they bonded over.

And right now they remained silent just for a minute, appreciating the fresh morning breeze and eating their food together, like they sometimes used to do on some mornings.

 

“It’s been a really hard year for her…” Kara said to Maggie to break the silence, but without looking away from her cup of tea as they speak, swirling her spoon in the lightly orange-tainted water. “I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, by the way. I’m just… letting you know she couldn’t even hide it from me…”

 

Maggie and Kara both knew they’d end up talking about Alex at some point. Probably for most of the conversation. So it wasn’t surprising or awkward. It was always very natural for them to start touchy conversation without wondering around. That’s what they liked about their relationship.

 

“You care about her.” Maggie understood. “I get it. Her struggles are yours, in a way.”

 

“I was so excited when she started going out again…!” Kara sigh, thinking about it and knowing Maggie wouldn’t feel bad or be mad if she just said it. “I just thought, _‘Finally, she’s trying, she’s gonna be okay, she’s moving forward…!’_. But she never introduced anyone. Just some names when I asked, but she never talked about anything if I didn’t ask. While when she was crushing on you, well, she’d just start talking on her own for God knows how long...”

 

“I’m very flattered.” Maggie grins, making Kara chuckle adoringly. “Really, I am. But yeah, I get it. I mean I get how you saw things, but I also get what she’s been through too. I haven’t had anything serious either. To be honest I just didn’t want to.”

 

“That’s why you kept on traveling? So you didn’t have a chance to settle?” Kara asked her, munching on her bagel.

 

“Maybe it was part of the benefits…” Maggie thought. “I mean it worked, right?”

 

“But now you’re gonna be in Gotham for an undetermined amount of time. It could easily be for months. Or years.”

 

“That’s why I didn’t want to give Alex any long terms hopes.” Maggie nods. “Like… We were both very honest with each other. We know our feelings are still very strong. But with our own desires and paths, we’ll most likely never really find our way back to each other like we’d want to.”

 

“You guys still want to be together.” Kara understand and didn’t judge.

 

“I don’t want her to give up on her dreams, you know?” Maggie said, backing in her seat to settle, frowning at the idea of Alex doing just that.

 

“Yeah, of course not.” Kara agreed after taking a sip of her tea. “Plus she would explode at some point…”

 

“Exactly.” Maggie pointed at her. “And I don’t want that.”

 

“But she’s stubborn when it comes to feelings. So… I mean I’ve seen her going on dates and almost making sure it wouldn’t work.”

 

“I mean I’m her standards, so…”

 

Kara just laughed with Maggie here, picking the chocolate chips off her bagel and eat them like that so she could still talk clearly then:

 

“I mean yeah, true, but! Some of the girls look lovely, and nice…! And her type! But there was always something wrong. Like an excuse to call it off… At first, I thought the girls just weren’t her type, but at some point, I thought she just wanted to find a way to get rid of them…”

 

“Well the thing is she shouldn’t force herself to go on dates…” Maggie explained to her then. “It never works. It’s honestly better to let things happen. It’s more magical. And Alex could use some magic.” She ensured, to which Kara nods in agreement. “But since I’m leaving, you’re gonna have to be in charge of her emotional waves.”

 

“Ugh, can I text you when I’m about to through her out of a window?” Kara asks as she already feels the hard work kick in.

 

“Anytime… Oh! By the way!” Maggie goes in the apartment quickly and comes back with an envelope. “Before I forget… I’d like you to do something for me.” She said to Kara while giving it to her.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“It’s a letter. Or, well, a provisional one… I’d like you to fly this back to me on Monday, after lunch time. I’ll text you my location.”

 

“Okay…?”

 

“I can’t predict the future like your friend Nia, but I’m really good at seeing opportunities when I see one…” Maggie tried to explain the best she could. “Anyways, in the end it will be for Alex. But until Monday, I can’t guarantee its content.”

 

And Kara just remembered Nia’s dream. The letter and the rain. And the chills running down her spin made her feel like she was holding Alex’s future in her hands.

 

“It’s a little bit confusing…” she admitted.

 

“I know. It will all be clear on Monday. Promise.” Maggie said with a smile.

 

“Can I ask what it is about?” Kara dared to ask.

 

“It’s something good.” She ensured.

 

“Okay… Anything else before we go back to eating?” Kara asked, wanting to give more to Maggie if she could.

 

“Just-… Don’t let her wait for me? Please?” Maggie told her, feeling her emotions take over and trying to stop the tears from filling her eyes.

 

“Dammit, we always said we wouldn’t cry everytime…” Kara said, getting up and hugging Maggie fast.

 

 

The rest of Maggie’s day went quietly after Kara was called-in by the DEO after they were done eating their breakfast. Kara gave another warm hug to Maggie. It felt very nice. Kara was very strong, but her hugs were both determined and soft.

So Maggie just waited for Ross to be back for lunch time so they could talk about fun and stupid things, also for Maggie to tease Ross about how cheesy she was when talking about her girlfriend. Then they played Mario Kart together to relax, and then it was almost 4 p.m., and Ross was pushing Maggie out of her apartment with her bags and suitcases to go see Alex and spend the rest of her time in National City with her. And it’s not like Maggie was going to resist.

 

“You still come by tomorrow before going to the airport,  uh?” Ross asked, still hugging Maggie.

 

“Of course I will, you goofball.” Maggie chuckled.

 

“Okay, now get out, don’t leave the lady waiting.”

 

Ross had already planned a visit in Gotham next month, so their goodbye was held by a promise to see each other again soon enough.

 

 

 

 

** ALEX’S APARTMENT : **

 

 

Waking up in the middle of the day was Alex’s miserable moment. Everything felt out of place and her entire body was jetlagged. But thankfully this specific knocking on her door immediately made the world a better place. She jumps out of bed and runs with all of her not-really-awake energy to the door and opens it with a sleepy smile.

 

“Hi…!” she sings adoringly.

 

Maggie giggles seeing just how Alex was excited while ready to go back to sleep.

 

“Hey sleeping beauty.” Maggie smiled bright. “I brought some muffins.” She said, showing the bag hanging by two fingers.

 

Alex invites her in happily, and when Maggie steps in, she catches her hand by surprise and makes her spin around so she could catch her in her arms to have her close.

 

“Waw…! Okay, Miss Danvers.” Maggie laughed, accepting to follow Alex’s sudden romantic moves. “That’s a fun way to say hello.”

 

Alex just smiles and then stole a kiss from Maggie, bringing their bodies incredibly closer for a few seconds. And when they looked at each other again, the only thing that mattered was their presence in the moment.

 

“Hello, you.” Alex smiled peacefully, feeling Maggie’s thumb brush her jaw.

 

 

The afternoon with a jetlagged Alex was always very calm and simple. They ate their muffins and talked a little bit about Alex’s night shift : the space suit is very promising, and her exo-mineral cultures are showing successful restoring proprieties from certain chemical damages, which means she might be able to create a serum against certain infections based on this new mineral. Alex did not ask about the breakfast Maggie had with Kara, because she just didn’t need to know anything, she knew they used to have breakfast before sometimes. She only asked if the furniture hunt went well, and Maggie announced she just bought a full kitchen set and a new XL carpet that would cover 90% of the bedroom floor.

 

They settled on the bed together to watch a movie. Only Maggie had been up for some time now and Alex basically just woke up. So Maggie drifted into a comfortable rest. She didn’t fell asleep, but definitely settled in Alex’s arms, resting against her chest, and just let her eyes close as Alex kept on combing through her arm, scratching her scalp gently.

Alex didn’t pay much attention to the movie either. She just cared about Maggie in her arms. Maggie holding her like a great teddy bear she wouldn’t let go off as she rests.

 

“Are you staying tonight?” she asked her sweetly, still petting her hair and caressing her warm skin.

 

All she got was Maggie’s very soft hum, and the nuzzle than indicated she wouldn’t leave this spot. Alex only smiled and kissed Maggie on the forehead, feeling her purr resonate through her chest before she decides to guide herself down into the sheets with Maggie, so they could be more comfortable to cuddle.

Eventually they got up when one stomach started to rumble. Maggie prepared fried brown rice with a bunch of carrots, asparagus, broccoli and yellow bell pepper finely chopped, all with an improvised soy-based sauce. And she also cooked the chicken breasts for Alex to add to her dish.

 

And soon enough it was night time. Soon enough Alex got in the shower. And soon enough she heard the door open and smiled, pretending not to have heard anything. And soon enough Maggie got undressed and joined Alex under the water, not saying a word, just staying behind her, knowing that if Alex wanted her to stop, she already would have said something.

Alex only shivered when she felt Maggie’s fingers touch her back and caress down her skin.

 

“You’re beautiful.” Maggie whispered to Alex as she feels the skin on her sides stretch up under her touch.

 

Alex feels herself lean back, as if her body was only attracted to Maggie’s touch. And Maggie wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into her hold. And the water might be warm, but Maggie’s body was always hotter than anything else. This was exactly how she wanted to remember her : close, warm, soft, peaceful, and in love.

 

 

 

 

** SUNDAY 17th FEBRUARY 2019. **

 

 

For her last day in National City, Maggie wanted to first check everything she had packed again. So as soon as she woke up, around 5 a.m. because she was nervous and stressed about leaving, she quickly got up and started to unpack her suitcases to pack them again.

 

“You know if you closed them correctly, nothing got lost during the night.” Alex smiled sleepily as she looks at Maggie from her bed.

 

“Sorry…” Maggie whispers honestly. “I’ll come back to bed in a second.”

 

“You better…” Alex mumbled but chuckled as she wraps herself in the cover.

 

Maggie laughs and quickly finishes her task. Just like Alex said, nothing had magically disappeared. So she felt her suitcases and went back in Alex’s bed, finding her wrapped adoringly but awake as she’s waiting for her. Alex opens the cover so Maggie can come and cuddle with her, and they both soon fall back asleep.

Until it was 10 a.m. and Alex wanted to spend a productive day with Maggie. She would leave her for who-knows how long at 7 p.m. today, and she wanted to cherish every second she could spend with her, like nothing was going to end, like nobody was going away.

And Maggie followed her in every step.

They went to eat breakfast as this French place they like. Coffee and croissant with fresh orange juice. Then they walked around the park and talked on a bench about everything and anything. Then for lunch Kara and Lena joined them at the Saint Louise, a cozy restaurant. Lena and Maggie had time to catch up and remember some fun adventures. Kara and Alex even learned that Maggie and Lena had kept on talking even when Maggie was gone in other countries. They remained good friends.

After lunch, Kara and Lena went back to CatCo, and Alex took Maggie to a museum that exposed Alien Art pieces. Maggie was completely fascinated by everything exposed. The paintings, the statues, the potteries, all in matters never seen or exploited before…

They stopped by a coffee shop around 4 p.m. and stayed inside for a while, taking cute pictures and making each other laugh.

 

Then because time was running through their hands, they had to go back to Alex’s place to get Maggie’s luggage and pass by Ross’ place to say goodbye. They spent some time inside drinking tea and coffee, talking about their work mostly, since the three of them were in the field of criminal cases. But there were jokes and fun too, obviously. Until it was time to leave for the airport.

 

“I’m gonna miss you for the next four weeks!” Ross said in a tight hug.

 

Maggie only laugh and gave a warm kiss attack to Ross’s cheek again. Then she starts to walk back and go to the car with Alex.

 

“I promise you won’t sleep on the ground!” Maggie shouts at Ross.

 

“You know I’ll take your bed anyway!”

 

Leaving Ross never felt like a real goodbye. It was always more like a see you soon. And that’s what Maggie needed right now.

Because the last person to say goodbye to would be Alex. And Maggie wish she’d never have to say it.

 

 

Traffic was pretty fluid on the way to the airport. It was quiet too. Just hands touching, and hands kissed. Nothing more but nothing less.

 

 

 

 

** NATIONAL CITY AIRPORT : **

 

 

The airport was huge, but Maggie knew the place pretty well. It didn’t take her long to spot where her gates where. She looked at the screens : 7:14 p.m. for L.A was on time. So Alex helped Maggie register her luggage and check everything she needed to check. They sat for some time at the coffee place, and then the passengers for L.A were called. And here Alex couldn’t pretend anymore as she stood in front of Maggie, both voiceless as they didn’t want to say those words again.

 

“I promised myself I wouldn’t cry…” Alex chuckled sadly, trying her best but still feeling the emotions taking over.

 

“The tears are okay with me.” Maggie told her with a smile, lifting her head so Alex would look at her. “So long as you keep smiling.”

 

“I’m gonna keep smiling.” Alex ensured, because she knew Maggie’s sentence was deeper than just for this moment.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Lovingly, they looked into each other’s eyes, and shared that kiss that they knew would break their hearts again. The one that tasted like the last one, the last word. Like the last bit of love in which they tried to put all of their passion in, with which they tried to slow down time so it would last longer.

Because then Maggie had to go. And Maggie did leave. She took her bag and crossed the boundary that Alex couldn’t cross with her. She presented her ticket, and she went through with the other passengers of her flight.

But when Maggie turned back around, when Maggie smiled to her, this is how Alex last saw her : close, warm, soft, peaceful, and in love.

But as soon as the doors closed, as soon as Maggie disappeared, Alex felt distant, and cold, tense and disturbed. Because she was in love with uncertainty, and all she wanted was to be with Maggie so she could feel like it would be okay.

 

 

 

 

** MONDAY 18th FEBRUARY 2019. **

 

 

If saying goodbye to Maggie for the second time in her life felt like getting hit by the hardest truth of life, Alex now was feeling drowned in desperate illusions and fading feelings of hope. She woke up alone and cold. She ate silently. She work in the morning focusing the best she could. Compartmentalizing. Hardly.

She eventually took the afternoon off and went home. Didn’t do much of her day then. She wanted to call Kara but her sister said she had to go somewhere today. So Alex stayed home alone.

 

As for Kara, just as promised, she flew to Los Angeles to meet Maggie, giving her the enveloped she kept for her. And as Maggie was peacefully writting down everything she needed to say to Alex, Kara could hear the pen gently touch the paper and flow beautifully with Maggie's mind. She didn't see what Maggie put in the envelope with the letter. But she trusted Maggie to have done something good. And they simply said goodbye here again. This time with a promise in exchange : To always look after Alex, no matter where they are on this beautiful planet they share.

 

 

 

 

** ALEX’S APARTMENT : **

 

 

“Hey, Sis?” Kara asked, shyly opening the door by herself, seeing Alex sitting by the kitchen counter flipping on her phone through pictures she took with Maggie the day before. “Sorry, I knock twice already… I started to worry… Can I come in?”

 

“Hey…” Alex smiles weakly. “What’s up?”

 

“Well, hum… I have something for you.” Kara answered, taking an envelope out of her bag.

 

She gave it to Alex, who saw her name was written on it. And this handwriting, she would recognize it among million.

 

“When I had breakfast with Maggie, she gave me this… She asked me to fly it over to her today, and then she gave it back to me. She wanted me to only transmit it on this day and in the afternoon. Only after she had time to check the content.”

 

“Oddly specific…” Alex chuckled lightly, mostly focused on this intriguing envelope.

 

She looked at this piece of Maggie fearing the content. Like anything Maggie put in there was going to determine her future. But the need to know was stronger than the fear.

So Alex opened the envelope, and discovered a handwritten letter.

 

 

 

 

> _Dear Alex,_
> 
> _It might be a little late, but here is my Valentine’s Day gift to you._
> 
> _After everything that happened between us these past few beautiful days, I decided to move my flight from L.A to Gotham, and chose to take one that would be just few hours later. I needed some time to meet a good friend of mine who lives there._
> 
> _You will find her number in this letter. Her name is Sascha Akerman._
> 
> _As we were eating lunch in a beautiful restaurant that we both agreed on, we talked a lot about ourselves._
> 
> _But mostly, I talked a lot about you._
> 
> _Sascha works at an adoption center in Los Angeles, and knows a lot of people there too._
> 
> _She heard and listened to me, and said she would be very happy to help you, and guide you through every steps of the procedure._
> 
> _She already has my own letter addressed for your file, so you are not jumping in without a good recommendation from a respected member of society._
> 
> _You deserve everything good in this world. Everything that makes you happy. Even everything that I cannot promise you._
> 
> _But I will promise you this : I will always want you to be happy. And I will always do everything I can to make sure you are happy._
> 
> _I don’t know exactly when I will be able to come back, but know that no matter what makes you happy,_
> 
> _no matter who loves you,_
> 
> _no matter who you love,_
> 
> _all I want is to see you smile brighter than I remember._
> 
> _Because I love you. And your happiness is necessary to my own._
> 
> _So go, and be happy._
> 
> _With all my love._
> 
> _Maggie._

 

 

 

And just like the rain had fallen across the field, Alex’s tears had fallen along her cheeks. But unlike in the dream, Kara was here to hold her and keep her warm as she let her emotions flow out and down in a heartbreaking melody.

But what Kara didn’t know was that Nia was right : rain could represent sadness, but it could also represent grace and forgiveness.

She will only see this truth later, where Alex’s future would bloom.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate on me just yet! There is a Chapter 5! You must read the chapter 5 because this isn't the end! I said HAPPY ending and I'm going to give a HAPPY ending!
> 
> Also, I cried SO MUCH writing the letter I don't know how I got through this...


	5. Because You Love Me Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years and eight months have past...

 

 

 

** SATURDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2021 **

** TWO YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS LATER. **

 

 

Alex had officially become the mother of a little boy, Jonas, who is now three years old. She was allowed to bring him into her home as her son only two weeks ago and was following a certain post-adoption watch with some profesionnals. But overall, Alex’s adoption process went faster than for most single parents. And there were several reasons for that.

First, Sascha kept her promise to Maggie, and helped Alex build a consistent and clear file, with optional documents that, in her own professional experience, have caught her eye and picked her curiosity, encouraged her to look deeper and give more of her time to a specific case.

Second, Alex had a great position, even as a single woman. She is financially stable and well prepared for the budget to invest in the adoption process but also to invest in the future for the child. She can also easily adapt her schedule because of her work position. Sure she has lots of responsibilities as a Director, but she also has a lot of people she could rely on for specific tasks or replacement. Also, she has great relatives who will always be there to help.

Then, Alex never said she wanted a specific gender, which Sascha mentioned as something that could slow the process.

Finally, Jonas is an Alien. An Andromedan. He was placed in a specialized adoption center only few days after his birth, where there are way less awaiting future parents. And because Alex is the Director of a Department of Defense that has been involved in Extra-paranormal matters, she was already coming with knowledge and a very welcoming mind. regarding his very precious origins.

 

The first meeting with Jonas was like none other. She was invited to visit the center and felt a warm and relaxing energy surrounding her. When the woman who was guiding her looked at her, she told Alex to look at herself in the mirror : Alex’s eyes were shining bright blue. It wasn’t a telepathic connection, but an emotional connection. Jonas was immediately intrigued by Alex, and chose to communicate his feelings to her. The fact that she was receptive to this kind of communication showed how open-minded she was, rather than scared, which could only help her case. Also, Jonas had only been communicating with the nurses because he had to. Alex was the first stranger that he called to him.

This immediate connection made it obvious to Alex that this unique baby would become part of her family. She simply felt how curious Jonas was, how he wanted to communicate things to her, and bring her to him. And she was right.

 

 

 

**ALEX'S APARTMENT:**

 

 

Since Alex had Jonas officially home, she had been out of the DEO, and wanted to take the time for them to bond. Sure she would miss work, and sometimes help from home, but having Jonas here waiting to learn more was her priority as a mother for now. So, for today, the activity would be one of Jonas' favorite : puzzles. Jonas loved to solve puzzles of all kinds, and Alex was pretty sure she'll soon introduce him to Rubik's Cubes. But for now they were focusing on solving the jigsaw they did two days earlier, which went pretty fast because Jonas had an excellent memory.

 

 

“I love that you’re so smart.” She smiled to the boy sitting in front of her on the floor, making him giggle at the compliment. “That means we’re going to get on another level of fun…!” she said with suspense in her voice.

 

And Jonas was just waiting, almost impatiently, because he could feel that Alex had a surprise for him. And then she came back with three jigsaw puzzles of 24 pieces.

 

“Bigger jigsaw puzzles!” she exclaimed.

 

Jonas only babbled adoringly, amused by Alex who was always trying to have a lot of fun with him.

 

“So, now, tough decision. Which one shall we be solving first…? Choose a box. One box only.” she asked, acting like they were on a quest. And Jonas hesitated between Dinosaurs, Toy Story, and Santa Claus, but he chose the one with the dinosaurs. “Oh, Kara would be so jealous right now…!” Alex told him, pushing the other boxes aside. “You think we can finish it before she comes to visit?”

 

Jonas just made his eyes glow and smiled. This was a very positive answer, and Alex always liked to see Jonas learning to communicate with her comfortably. She never forced him to talk, she always tried to put words on his non-verbal communications. And she liked it. Jonas was special. And he deserved to be understood as such and raised as such. Not to be forced into a specific pattern. So Alex just smiled back, opened the jigsaw box, got the pieces out in one half and put the other half with the image of the puzzle facing Jonas.

But then there was a knock at the door, and if Alex remembers well, Kara isn’t supposed to be out of CatCo for another two hours.

Her eyes turned blue, and Alex felt like there was a questioning running around her scalp.

 

“Maybe it’s Sophie?” she answered to Jonas, who knew Sophie was the woman checking on Alex and Jonas. “Or it could be Sascha? Maybe she wants to come and see your cute face too?” she then proposed.

 

Jonas disconnected his link as she gets up and goes to answer the door. But the feeling he gets from Alex is one that he never experienced from her. Yet, he feels like this isn’t something he could understand, or should be intruding. It felt incredibly soft and strong at the same time, overwhelming and appeasing, exciting and reassuring.

 

 

“Maggie…?” Alex says in the softest voice, eyes already watering from simply seeing her standing at her doorstep.

 

Maggie has a magnificent and bright smile; her eyes are all crinkled and her dimples on full display. She’s cut her hair shoulder-length and highlighted it here and there. But some things never change : like the boots, jeans, button-up and leather jacket she was wearing right now.

She just can’t believe this is real. So to make sure of that, Alex steps forward and brings her arms around Maggie. And then it feels as real as it is. She smells like cinnamon, probably from the shop at the airport, and a bit like citrus and spice on a woody and apple-like base, from the perfume she always was wearing.

 

“You’re here.” Alex whispers already lost in Maggie’s soft hair and warm skin. “You’re really here.”

 

“I really am.” Maggie just said just as peacefully, stroking Alex’s sides and back, welcoming her in her arms again. “God this feels just like I remembered.” She chuckled, feeling Alex also laughing, and then, picking on the side, she crosses another pair of eyes, like deep and calm blue ocean. “Well, who’s this curious one?”

 

And it takes a minute for Alex to come back on Earth with Maggie holding her like gravity, but when she hears the little steps behind her, and Maggie’s adoring voice, she soon remember where she stands. She turns her head and see that Jonas couldn’t wait for another minute without an answer to his questions and decided to come and see for himself. He was just standing in the apartment, not so far from the door, so he could see what was happening and what or who could make Alex react in such a unique way.

 

“Oh- Come in…!” she told Maggie before she jumps back in the apartment to pick up the curious one in her arm. “You couldn’t stay still for another minute, uh?” she told him, making him smile and laugh at the playful fingers tickling his side and neck.

 

And here is when Maggie saw everything she needed to see.

 

“Maggie, let me introduce you to Jonas.” Alex told her, with a beautiful smile.

 

A smile that she had never seen Alex wear before.

 

“Jonas, this is Maggie.” Alex kept going, and Jonas go a bright pink in his blue cheeks as he waved his hand to Maggie and made the iris of his eyes shyly glow on and off. “Oh, don’t be shy, it’s Maggie…!” Alex told him with a giggle. “She’s a really good friend, like the best of the best, and…! She loves puzzles…!” she confessed, making Jonas giggle and forget about shyness, only thinking about Maggie liking jigsaws and about the fact he had a jigsaw to finish. “See! Don’t you Maggie?” Alex asked then to her.

 

“I mean I do have a collection of dinosaur jigsaws…” she playfully grins at the both of them. “And I happen to love the picture of your puzzle over there.” She pointed out, to subtly propose them to join in the fun.

 

And Jonas’s cheeks got blue again, with now freckles of light, like tiny stars, showing how exciting this was to him. And Alex smiled again, and laugh.

But mostly, she smiled.

A smile so pure and bright, so peacefully drawn and naturally felt. She wasn’t drowned in happiness, no she was flying high in infinite bliss. And it was worth every single tear they both shed, and every single day they ever spent apart. Because in this moment, Maggie knew.

 

“I love you.”

 

And as if Alex already knew it, as if those words only lit up the flame in her knowing but dormant and awaiting heart, she looked into Maggie’s eyes and smiled. Peacefully because this day had finally come.

 

“I love you too.”

 

Yes, in this moment, they both knew.

There wouldn’t be another day Maggie and Alex would spend away from one another.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the ending of this Sanvers Reunion.  
> I trully hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> And yes, I also cried writing this ending.


End file.
